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Young Adult Books (Ages 14+)
New Releases
Maggie Stiefvater
Maggie Stiefvater, author of the Shiver series, has created a haunting world that is an engrossing mix of myth, horse racing and romance. The Thisby Island Scorpio Races see riders competing to win the prize, and to reach the finish line alive. Nineteen-year-old Sean Kendrick is the reigning champion, but this year is different. This year a girl has entered for the first time. Puck Connolly and her horse are brave, but are nowhere near ready for the races.
Marie Lu
Fans of Divergent and Hunger Games will love this dystopian thriller. June is a prodigy of the Republic – a rising star of the elite ruling class who is destined for success. Day is a fifteen-year-old outlaw who has a sizeable bounty on his head. After June’s brother is murdered, Day and June are thrown together, caught between each other and the Republic that has the power to destroy everything they care about.
Mark Schulman
Tod Munn is your typical bully - big, tough, and not afraid to take advantage of an easy mark. But when the administration busts him for doing something really bad, his punishment is to sit in a hot, empty room with the guidance counselor and scrawl his story in a beaten-up notebook. Funny, honest and clever - this is the bully's story as you've never seen it.
Rachel Hartman
These are dragons as you have never seen them - gigantic, threatening and majestic - but also able to fold themselves into human form and act as ambassadors with the human kingdom of Goredd. Even after four decades of peace between humans and dragons there is much distrust, fear and hatred. Seraphina, a young and gifted court musician, is caught between these worlds. When a sinister plot is discovered to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to discover the truth - all while hiding her own very dangerous secret.
Kristin Cashore
This newest book in the bestselling Graceling Series is sure to delight fans of Tamora Pierce and lovers of "classic fantasy". Plagued by the legacy of her violent psychopath father, Bitterblue is now Queen of Monsea and must decide either to listen to her advisors, who have been running things since her father's reign, or decide what is best for her city on her own. Venturing outside her castle in disguise however, exposes a terrible reality to Bitterblue, a thirty-five-year curse to be exact, which means she must face the truth about the past and the truth about her father...
A.S. King
A.S. King is quickly becoming one of our favourite Young Adult authors thanks to the amazing books Everybody Sees the Ants and Please Ignore Vera Dietz. Lucky (from Ants) and Vera are narrators dealing with unbelievably crazy situations. With dark humour, a twisted sense of surreal and compelling topics, these books cannot be put down!
John Green
Beloved author John Green (Looking For Alaska) tackles love and cancer in this bold new novel. Sixteen-year-old Hazel lives with terminal thyroid cancer and has just been further diagnosed with depression. Now she's been put in a support group for children suffering from similar illnesses, but that's where she meets seventeen-year-old Augustus Waters, and he just might change her life forever. Melancholy, philosophical and elegant, this book has the potential to be a modern classic.
Laini Taylor
One of our first YA picks of the year, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a dark and compellingly mysterious love story. Karou is an unusual girl: she speaks many languages (including several that are not human), has bright blue hair that grows out of her head this way, and possesses an impeccable talent for avoiding any personal questions. Bridging two worlds, Karou does not understand her place in either. An unforgettable winged stranger will have the key to her mysterious past and the answers to present questions.
Moira Young
This thrilling dystopia is a finalist for the 2012 Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize. Set in a bleak and lawless future, Blood Red Road tells the story of Saba, a strong and quick-tempered heroine. When her twin brother Lugh is taken by mysterious strangers, Saba vows to free him whatever the cost. Her quest takes her through a disfigured landscape to a city where drugs and blood sports reign, and into battles against hopeless odds. With every step Saba faces a vicious struggle to free herself so she might find her brother - and she finds a growing ring of supporters that includes Jack, a cocky thief with eyes the colour of moonlight.
Kenneth Oppel
This is the story of the apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein, the doctor who creates the monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The book is a prequel to Shelley's classic, and tells the story of Victor's childhood in the palatial Frankenstein chateau. He spends his days fencing and horseback riding and exploring the hidden passageways and rooms of the castle. The only room he's never entered is the Dark Library, which houses ancient tomes written in strange languages and filled with forbidden knowledge. Victor has promised never to enter the library, but when his brother becomes deathly ill, Victor goes inside looking for the Elixir of LIfe. This novel is enchanting, fast-paced and filled with engaging characters. And we're not the only ones who loved it--the producers of the Twilight movies are already developing a film based on the novel!
Anna Sheehan
In this futuristic retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Rosalinda Fitzroy awakes after sixty-two years in a chemically induced coma to find that everyone she ever knew is dead. As the heir to her parent's empire, she must discover not only how to run the company, but also who sent the assassin to kill her.
Cat Patrick
Every night at precisely 4:33a.m., London Lane's memory "resets." A routine of careful note taking and a strange ability to remember things from her future are what help London get by, but when handsome Luke Henry enters her life, she needs to find a way to remember him because he doesn't seem to be in her future. One of our staff favourites!
All-Time Favourites
Veronica Roth
This is the closest thing we've found to the Hunger Games! Set in an unknown future, at the age of 16, every citizen must choose in which faction of society to spend the remainder of their lives practicing: The Honest, The Selfless, The Intelligent, The Peaceful or The Brave. Tris was born among The Selfless but chooses to join The Brave, and as part of her initiation she must learn to embrace danger and control her fears. The biggest risk she takes by far however, is the secret she keeps--one that could have her killed or worse... If you loved the Hunger Games, give this trilling dystopia a try!
Book #2 : Insurgent out now!
Libba Bray
A plane full of beauty-pageant contestants crashes on a deserted island. Stranded with giant snakes and no Wi-Fi, the girls have to survive and face their own brutally competitive natures. Libba Bray's satire mixes Lord of the Flies with a critique of consumer culture to give us an empowering story of self-discovery, complete with sexy pirates and evenings gowns. A subversive and hilarious beach read.
Y.S. Lee
In this new and thrilling nineteenth-century mystery, we are introduced to Mary Quinn, a former street urchin and thief. Mary was rescued at age twelve from the gallows by Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. Five years later, Mary is now poised to join the stop secret, all-female spy organization, The Agency. However, even these top investigators don't know the true secrets of Mary's past. Full of intrigue and romance, The Agency combines gritty historical detail with a fun sense of "what if?"
Check out the other books in this series:
Neil Gaiman
Winner of the Hugo and Newbery Awards and the Carnegie Medal, The Graveyard Book is one of our absolute favourites. As an infant, Nobody "Bod" Owens escapes a nightmarish attack on his family by escaping to the safest place possible: a graveyard. There, he is raised by ghosts, ghouls, and a not-quite-human caretaker. Neil Gaiman is at his best in this fantastical tale that will send shivers down your spine, along with an overwheming sense of comfort. Beware the spooky nature of this book for younger readers.
Pittacus Lore
Book one of the Lorien Legacies, I Am Number Four tells the story of a teen with no real name, and no real home except a devastated planet millions of miles away. Originally there were nine children sent to earth - the only survivors of an invaded planet, who were protected by a phrophecy that keeps them from being killed "out of order". Ten years later, the first three are dead, and Number Four is the next target for the enemies who relentlessly hunt them. Ghost written by the famous author of A Million Little Pieces, the action in this novel will drive you on from beginning to end!
John Green and David Levithan
In this novel by two of our favourite authors, John Green (An Abundance of Katherines) and David Levithan (Boy Meets Boy), two teenagers, both named Will Grayson, find their very different lives overlapping in ways that will challenge their perspective of the world. A fun, heart-wrenching read that features musical theatre, embarrassing friends, football and, of course, romance
Suzanne Collins
In punishment for an uprising against the capital almost 75 years ago, Panem (once known as North America) must provide 24 teenagers to participate in the yearly live broadcasts of the Hunger Games. Brave Katniss volunteers to replace her sister in these cruel and deadly games. Don’t miss this unbelievably thrilling series!
Paolo Bacigalupi
From the author of the Hugo and Nebula Award winning novel The Windup Girl, comes a new science fiction novel, set in a gritty future, where a good scavenge can make one’s fortune. Nailer works the light crew and strips old ships of their copper wiring just to make quota. When he finds a beached clipper and its wealthy passenger, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity turns into a deadly hunt.
Discover the exciting companion to Paolo Bacigalupi's highly acclaimed Ship Breaker, The Drowned Cities.
Sherman Alexie
Like Greg Heffley (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Junior is an aspiring cartoonist who discovers the humour of the most unlikely situations. As if growing up poor on an Indian reservation wasn't hard enough, Junior is a shrimp with a host of medical problems and only one best friend to stand up for him. When he decides to attend an all-white school in the neighbouring town, Junior's problems only get worse. Blending genuine tragedy with outrageous humour, this is a must-read.
James Dashner
Thomas awakes in an elevator with no memories beyond his first name. When the doors open, he finds himself in a stone maze called The Glade. He is also surrounded by other boys who arrived the same way, one by one, every thirty days. However, the next day The Glade's first girl is delivered, and she arrives with a surprising message.
Book #2 : The Scorch Trials and Book #3 : The Death Cure
Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease. Don't miss the stunning prequel The Kill Order.
Kenneth Oppel
Set here in Victoria, Kenneth Oppel's new novel is a wrenching story about a family who adopts a chimpanzee as part of a language experiment. Although he is less than pleased by the new addition to his family, thirteen-year-old Ben soon grows to love his new hairy brother, Zan. When the project's funding is suddenly cut, Ben knows he must find a way to save Zan, the ape who has become an essential part of his family. From the bestselling author of The Silverwing Saga.
Robert Muchamore
What an exciting read for boys – and girls! Three children are trying to escape France during World War II just as the Germans are invading. Their only hope lies with Charles Henderson, a British spy who is kind but deadly! In book 2, Eagle Day, the children continue to help Mr. Henderson sabotage German invasion plans. A prequel to the bestselling Cherub series.
Ally Condie
Everyone trusts "The Society" to know what's best for them, and Cassia is no different. So at the age of 16, she along with everyone else participates in the glamourous ball that is the Matching Ceremony where a computer screen shows you your perfect future mate… But what happens to Cassia is unlike anything The Society has ever seen, because the computer screen shows her not one perfect future mate, but two. Torn between the two boys she's been "matched" with, and trying to keep the event a secret, soon the world Cassia thinks she knows starts to unravel around her.
Sarah Harvey
Teenage Royce has been dragged by his mother all the way across Canada from Nova Scotia to Victoria. Not only has he left all his friends and plans, he is soon saddled with the care of his ninety-five-year-old grandfather. Arthur is not your average grandfather either. A former concert cellist, he is cantankerous, crafty, and stubborn. However, over months of afternoon coffee and ice cream and cruising in Arthur's vintage T-bird, the two learn a lot about each other, and themselves.
Scott Westerfeld
Leviathan is the first book in a new steampunk trilogy by the ever popular Scott Westerfeld, author of The Uglies series. Westerfeld has re-imagined the events of WWI to be a world where alternate science has created animal machine hybrids and walking tanks. The book follows the story of two children on opposite sides of the war. Alek, a prince on the run from his own people, must trust Deryn, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service, if they are both to survive.
Sarah Dessen
Macy has one long summer ahead of her. Her brainiac boyfriend is going away, she has to study for her SATs, and she has agreed to work at the library's information desk. All seems to be going according to oh-so-boring plan until a chaotic job at WISH Catering falls into her lap. With a new job that excites and challenges her, a new set of friends and handsome, artistic, and tattooed Wes, Macy might finally be able to open up about her father's death and why she's been living the life she has ever since.
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