Ms. Marvel : Crushed / G. Willow Wilson / 104 pgs

Ms. Marvel is a new superhero that is a breath of fresh air.   This strong, powerful, protector of the universe is packed into a short, clumsy/nerdy, teenage, Pakistani American girl named Kamala Khan. As Kamala is trying to navigate her everyday high school life, she constantly has to take time out to save  her friends, family, and city from the evil super-villains; using her extraordinary strength and stretching ability.

In "Crushed" Kamala receives a special valentine from a secret admirer who asks her out to the school dance.  Unfortunately, because of her parent's strict rules she is not allowed to date nor attend dances.  Kamala still goes to watch over the student body, which lucky for them she ends up saving them from evil villain Loki who tries to spike the punch to turn the students into mindless slaves.

Also a new villain shows up and he has set up an elaborate plan to trap Ms. Marvel. Will she fall right into his hands or figure it out just in time?  Kamala may be a bit distracted this time as a handsome young man whose parents are a friend of the family arrives.  Of course this guy is approved of by her parents, much to the chagrin of Kamala's best friend Bruno.

It's fun to see this young girl show her sweet and powerful sides.  And it also give a little peak at what a very muslim household would run like.  I would recommend this comic to any teenager (boy or girl).

Marvel Her-oes (vol. 1) / Grace Randolph / 110 pgs.

This is another superhero spin-off comic that I can get into.  This short series (only 4 issues) focuses on three teen girls, Janet Van Dyne (aka The Wasp), Jenny Walters (The She-Hulk), and Namora (An Atlantean).  They are living in a normal, small town going to a regular high school, but are coming into their superpowers and are pressured by their families to keep it a secret.  There are other "angsty" teen superhero series out there like Teen Titans, Spider-man loves Mary Jane, Hero High, and others; but this one features female characters!!  Personally, I think there needs to be more comics that focus on the female superheros (other than Birds of Prey).  Sadly, it looks like this was it for this series; because I could not find anything on the Net that indicated that there would be more issues published.  *Boo!!!*

Tiger's Curse / Colleen Houck / 403 pages

A teenage girl takes a temp job at a circus the summer before she enters college. She forms a bond with a white tiger who turns out to be an Indian prince (in Kelsey's words a hunk) who was cursed along with his equally hunky brother to be a tiger for eternity. Within a few weeks, she gets the blessing of her foster parents to fly off to India with a perfect stranger to supposedly let the white tiger live out its life in a reserve but is actually entering a quest to break the Tiger's Curse. Much of the story is totally improbable, the character seems much younger than her age, and the fairy tale handsome prince falling for the t-shirt and sneakers girl just doesn't ring true. Is it any different from so many adult romances? Not really....just more chaste with nothing more than hot kissing and tingly feelings so far. The quest involves lots of Indiana Jones style action. This is perfect for Twilight fans who want more romance but with an Indian mythology twist. First in a trilogy and readers will want to find out what happens next.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner- pp 375

If we needed to create a new humanity to survive in the end of the world how would we do it?

This suspense novel is about secret experiments to find the perfect human species to save the planet.

The book covers surviving physically and mental aspects of large groups working together. This book has some great action that is being made into a movie. If you liked Hunger Games, you will like this book.

This is book one of three.

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Jane/April Lindner/365 pages

Jane is the modern day retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. It maintains all the gothic and romantic style of the original, but translates it into something palatable for the modern teenager.

As in the original, Jane is a fiercely independent, practical and introverted teen. In this modern story she is a 19 year old student forced to drop out of college after her parents are killed in a car accident. Subsequently, Jane takes on a position as a nanny to earn money to one day return to school. Her client is the famous and notorious rock star, Nico Rathburn. Brooding and mysterious, Jane finds herself drawn to Nico. What unfolds is a forbidden romance that becomes complicated by Nico’s secretive past.

The author does an excellent job of capturing Jane’s melancholy, the gothic feel of Thornfield and the gripping romance between Jane and Nico. Together these features create a riveting story that will keep any teen reading and may even inspire an original reading of Jane Eyre.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz/ by A.S. King/ 326 pages

I heard about this book because it won a Michael Printz Honor this year, and the title intrigued me. Turns out that the title refers to Vera's message to the universe as she tries to make her way through high school unnoticed and un-bothered by the usual trivial high school matters.

Told mainly from Vera's perspective, the book bounces back and forth between present and past tense, and it occasionally brings in other characters' for their perspective on the matters at hand. Among an absent mother, an emotionally distant father, and a mysterious boy-next-door best friend/love interest, the characters in this book come together around some pretty serious topics. The plot is driven by a mystery involving Vera and her neighbor Charlie.

That's all I'll say so as not to give anything away. The book is realistic without being overly intense about the topics it covers (domestic abuse, bullying, teen drinking), and it contains some fantastic elements that keep you guessing.

Matched/ Ally Condie/ 366 pages

A recent addition to the dystopian future teen genre, this book has been highly acclaimed by reviewers. And also by other library users...I had to wait several weeks to get my hands on it! It was definitely worth the wait.

Set in a future where the Society controls everything...from what you eat to how much you exercise to who you marry, this book follows 17 year old Cassia's journey as she goes through a whole series of life-changing events surrounding her matching to a childhood friend. Matching is exactly that--a matching of 2 seventeen year olds who are expected to marry at age 21. Cassia's matching is unusual from the very beginning, and Cassia's own behavior, the involvement of other characters, and changes within the Society at large all come together to influence Cassia's worldview.

This book is both romantic and suspenseful, and the ending definitely prepares the way for a sequel. I'd recommend it to Hunger Games fans in a heartbeat!