Three recent favorites that I think you also will enjoy:
Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg: Elizabeth Eulberg also wrote one of my favorite debut novels this year, The Lonely Hearts Club, and I like her follow up novel very much too. Lizzie Bennet is a scholarship student at Longbourn Academy, and her only friend is her roommate Jane, who has a terrible younger sister named Lydia and a crush on dreamy Charles Bingley. Lizzie, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with Charles' best friend Will Darcy, who is rude and snobby. So why does Will keep showing up at Lizzie's job? And why is Charles suddenly ignoring Jane? Prom and Prejudice is a fun and funny update on Jane Austen's classic novel, and will hopefully lead students back to the original text.
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June by Robin Benway: Sisters April, May, and June have been forced to relocate "to the Valley!" following their parents' divorce, and just as they are adjusting to a new school, they discover that they have the gifts of foresight, invisibility, and mind reading. This is not happy news. May already wants to disappear to live with their father in Houston, freshman June is desperate to make friends with a popular but troubled older student, and big sister April just wants to get her homework done and keep her sisters out of trouble. This story is laugh out loud funny at times, and is realistic in its portrayal of teen life. I read it in one sitting, and highly recommend it.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: Anna Oliphant does not want to spend her senior year of high school at a boarding school in Paris, but it's what her father, a bestselling novelist, wants, so away she goes. She makes a new group of friends at school, including Étienne St. Clair, who might just be perfect for Anna, except he has a girlfriend, and Anna is still pining over a boy from home. The two become best friends over the course of the school year, but can they discover if it's more before it's too late? Anna and the French Kiss is absolutely one of the most romantic YA books I've read this year. I love Anna; she's smart and independent, and trying to do the right thing despite her feelings for Étienne, who is also pretty awesome. Don't miss this book!
Teacher thoughts:
I probably won't be putting Anna and the French Kiss or The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June in my 8th grade classroom due to language, but otherwise I think all three of these books are okay for 14 and up.
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