A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This children’s classic was written in 1905 by the same author who wrote The Secret Garden.  Sara Crewe was born and raised in India by her widowed father.  At a certain age, her father decides Sara must attend a boarding school in London.  Due to her money and good temperament she has been treated like a little princess until her father dies.  Sara, penniless and orphaned, becomes a servant in the boarding house.  For two years, she makes the best of her situation until she comes back into good fortune.

Audacity
by Melanie Crowder

Clara Lemlich and her family are persecuted by Christians in Russia due to their Jewish heritage. They immigrate to America where they face many hardships, including one of her brothers being held back at Coney Island due to illness, and the extreme poverty they face living in a new country. Clara is forced to work long hours in various garment shops under poor working conditions. She becomes involved in establishing a union for this industry and gives up her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. This historical fiction YA novel is written in free verse and based on a true story.

The Cure For Dreaming
by Cat Winters

When Olivia Mead goes to Henri Reverie’s show on October 31st, her birthday, she is called up to be hypnotized. Upon hearing of Henri’s incredible hypnotic powers, her father hires him to erase Olivia’s rebellious thoughts; but Henri instead gives her the gift of seeing people as they truly are. This ability lets her see who is trustworthy and who is a threat. When she gets really upset and tries to argue, the only words that will come out of her mouth are “all is well.” This book is set in Portland, Oregon at the turn of the 20th century and involves suffragists and those that try to silence them.

We All Looked Up
by Tommy Wallach

This book is written from the varying perspectives of four students, each a different high school stereotype (athlete, slut, slacker, overachiever).  The athlete’s name is Peter; he is questioning his goal to become a famous athlete. The slut’s name is Eliza; she is a photographer who is kissed by Peter (who is already in a relationship); a girl walks in on them and spreads a vicious rumor that Eliza is a slut even though Peter kissed Eliza, so she is wrongly accused. The slacker’s name is Andy; his parents are out of the picture and he has fallen in with the wrong crowd which drinks and does drugs. The overachiever’s name is Anita; she has overbearing parents who control her entire life; Anita’s passion is to sing, but her parents won’t let her pursue this interest. All four of their lives are intertwined with love, hatred, and friendship while an asteroid named Ardor threatens to decimate Earth.

UnCaged
by John Sandford & Michele Cook

This book is the first one in the Singular Menace series. Shay Remby runs away from her foster parents’ home; she is trying to find her brother, Odin who is slightly autistic. He has run away with a group of animal rights activists as their hacker and has helped them break into a Singular Corp research lab in Eugene, Oregon. Odin escaped with important flash drives and a dog which had been experimented on. Shay makes her way to Hollywood and teams up with Twist, a streetwise male who owns an apartment building available free to homeless teens. Together they go to find her brother.