We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

Thirteen-year-old Stewart has always wanted a sister, but after his mom dies of cancer he doesn't think it is possible. Fourteen-year-old Ashley is angry at the world and cares only about holding her place of popularity at school. When Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom, there is instant friction. Ashley is horrified by the socially clueless boy living at home and worries he will reveal the real reason her dad moved out. Stewart just wants friends and a family, but doesn’t know how to manage it.

Told from alternating points of view, this bittersweet coming of age story shows all the pleasant and painful sides of growing up. It illustrates both the beauty and complexity of human relationships and those difficult teen years. An entertaining story many readers will connect with.

Recommended ages--12 and up

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McMannus

On Monday afternoon, five unexpected students find themselves in detention at Bayview High School. When detention ends, one of the students, Simon, is dead. The remaining four are suspects for murder. Simon had been planning to reveal their secrets on his social media gossip site. Therefore, Bronwyn, Cooper, Addy, and Nate all have a motive, but they all claim innocence. The story makes for a high school musicalesque who-done-it.

McManus does a good job building characters and an interesting mystery without making it too dark. She throws in enough twists that even I didn’t have the entire mystery figured out. A good mystery for middle and high school readers.

Recommended ages--12 and up

Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

Henri Haltiwanger has a smile that can charm anyone--that is until he runs into Corinne Troy. When she confronts him about his slightly dishonest dog walking business, ‘Halti’ finds himself blackmailed into improving Corinne’s social image. However, as he gets to know Corinne, he finds there might be more to his “intense” classmate than he expected. Also, she helps him learn more about himself. But will a friendship started with dishonesty be able to continue when a bigger betrayal enters the picture?

I listened to this audiobook and the story is superb! Be warned that there is some language and brief crude conversations. However, I appreciated that there wasn’t a focus on sex that so often comes into YA books. Charming as a Verb looks realistically at the pressures of high school life, both academically and socially and the characters truly are charming.

Recommended ages--13 and up