As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
298 pp.
| Simon
| March, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4814-6425-3$17.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-4814-6427-7
(3)
YA
Introverted high-school senior Caroline invents friends based on characters from the TV show Felicity to appease her newly divorced mother. Caroline gets busted; she's given one chance to start over in college, but she struggles to form authentic relationships and determine her own dreams and goals. This quiet coming-of-age novel with a distinctly teen perspective explores the universal challenges of transitioning to college.
311 pp.
| Simon
| August, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4814-3248-1$17.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-4814-3250-4
(3)
YA
After Jace's twin brother, Eli, dies in a car crash, Jace (who was injured and almost died in the crash) befriends Eli's friend Thera. Soon Jace learns that Eli was trying to help save Thera's home from the expansion of their pastor father's megachurch. Kade succeeds in balancing the slowly unfolding revelations with the family's emotional difficulties after the loss of the favored twin.
330 pp.
| Hyperion
| April, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4231-8463-8$17.99
(4)
YA
Project Paper Doll series.
Recaptured by her creators, alien-human hybrid Ariane must compete with her similarly engineered peers in a mysterious test. She learns that recent UFO activity may be related to her parent species--and she's the government's best bet for avoiding conflict. Despite some stiff secondary characters, Ariane is a compellingly righteous protagonist, and the plot escalation from corrupt scientists to alien contact is well constructed.
362 pp.
| Hyperion
| April, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4231-5329-0$17.99
(3)
YA
Project Paper Doll series.
Fleeing both the scientists who made her and other scientists who want to kill her, alien-human hybrid Ariane (with human boyfriend Zane) delves further into her origins and seeks out the hybrids created by rival labs, hoping to form an alliance. With skillfully compounding subplots and a sympathetic heroine, this second volume smartly and satisfyingly expands the series' narrative world.
410 pp.
| Hyperion
| April, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4231-5328-3$17.99
(4)
YA
Project Paper Doll series.
Rescued from a lab by the man she now calls father, experimental alien-human hybrid Ariane tries to fly under the radar. When the sheriff's cute son, classmate Zane, offers to help her take down a cruel queen bee, however, she can't resist getting involved. Though the two plot lines coexist awkwardly, the well-drawn school drama helps invest readers in the life-or-death speculative intrigue.
316 pp.
| Hyperion
| May, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4231-3466-4$16.99
(3)
YA
Ghost Alona (The Ghost and the Goth), now trapped in Lily's body, struggles with her new family's expectations and the ramifications of her relationship with ghost-talker Will. A rogue ghost and a sham ghost-talker force Alona into a difficult choice. Will and Alona offer plenty of witty repartee and engaging romantic tension as they figure out what they mean to each other.
267 pp.
| Hyperion
| June, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4231-3467-1$16.99
(3)
YA
Mina's ghost-busting organization tries to recruit ghost-talker Will (The Ghost and the Goth), much to the annoyance of his spirit guide and maybe-girlfriend Alona. Feeling abandoned, Alona tries to make a point by possessing comatose Lily. She gets trapped in Lily's body, and the predicament builds real suspense. Underlying Will and Alona's entertaining banter and romantic tension are deeper explorations of mortality and ethics.
283 pp.
| Hyperion
| July, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4231-2197-8$16.99
(3)
YA
After her accidental death, super-popular Alona--now a ghost--is bummed that she can only communicate with "weirdo loser" Will. Alternating narratives relate how their grudging partnership to help Alona cross over and keep Will out of a mental institution evolves into an unexpected romance. Long-kept secrets and several well-integrated subplots give the characters (especially seemingly vapid Alona) nuance.