2014 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

The unlikely friendship between basketball team captain Charlie and robotics club president Nate is challenged when Nate declares war on the cheerleaders over funding that will either pay for new uniforms or a robotics competition.

A guide about how to understand a dog's body language and behavior illustrates such key concepts as barking, howling, panting, bared teeth, and wagging tail. Looking at fifty dog poses, this book explains how to read a dog's body language and vocalizations. The coauthor is Gary Weitzman, D.V.M.

One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn't even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she's done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn't Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn't kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she's never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy's life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away?

Beck is doing well working as a mechanic in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War until men start dying all around him. Beck starts to worry he's cursed and hopes a long awaited reunion with his three buddies Morris, Ivan, and Rudi will make him feel better. But when the three get together, things aren't the same as they were in high school.

Syd’s life is not his own. As a proxy he must to pay for someone else's crimes. When his patron Knox crashes a car and kills someone, Syd is branded and sentenced to death. The boys realize the only way to beat the system is to save each other so they flee. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test the boys' resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. This fast-paced thrill ride of a novel is full of breakneck action, shocking twists and heart-hammering suspense that will have readers gasping until the very last page.

Teens have questions about sex. This simple manual answers their questions--honestly, simply, and reliably. What does an orgasm feel like? Does masturbating have any long-term negative effects? Does alcohol kill brain cells? Teens have questions about sex; it's a matter of who they ask and how reliable the answers are. Collected directly from teens and presented in a simple and accessible Q&A format, Elisabeth Henderson and Dr. Nancy Armstrong's 100 QUESTIONS YOU'D NEVER ASK YOUR PARENTS provides information about sex, drug, body, and mood in a way that's honest, nonjudgmental, and responsible.

Sixteen-year-old Malencia (Cia) Vale is chosen to participate in the Testing to attend the University; however, Cia is fearful when she figures out, her friends who do not pass the Testing disappear.

Years ago, seventeen-year-old Apache hunter Lozen and her family lived in a world of haves and have-nots. There were the Ones―people so augmented with technology and genetic enhancements that they were barely human―and there was everyone else who served them. Then the Cloud came, and everything changed. Tech stopped working. The world plunged back into a new steam age. The Ones' pets―genetically engineered monsters―turned on them and are now loose on the world.Lozen was not one of the lucky ones pre-C, but fate has given her a unique set of survival skills and magical abilities. She hunts monsters for the Ones who survived the apocalyptic events of the Cloud, which ensures the safety of her kidnapped family. But with every monster she takes down, Lozen's powers grow, and she connects those powers to an ancient legend of her people. It soon becomes clear to Lozen that she is not just a hired gun. As the legendary Killer of Enemies was in the ancient days of the Apache people, Lozen is meant to be a more than a hunter. Lozen is meant to be a hero.

"Roan's one dream is to leave home and attend Pilot Academy like his older brother, father, and grandfather. But just as Roan is mysteriously denied entrance to Pilot School, he is invited to attend Jedi Academy, a school that he didn't apply to and only recruits children when they are just a few years old. That is, until now ... The novel follows Roan's first year at Jedi Academy where, under the tutelage of Master Yoda, he learns that he possesses more strength and potential than he could have ever dreamed. Oh, and he learns other important things too, like how to make a baking soda volcano, fence with a lightsaber, slow dance with a girl, and lift boulders with the Force."--Publisher information.