My most anticipated summer novel is Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins due to be released August 24. I know people who have scheduled that day off work to read it! Personally, I stayed up all night to read the second in this series- Catching Fire. You need to start with the first of the trio- The Hunger Games.
Katniss lives in a future world in which the poor provinces serve the central city, including sending teenagers to fight to the death in a televised reality show. As Katniss struggles to survive, she is unwittingly pulled into a rebellion. This is edge of the chair exciting, so set aside a chunk of time for this book.
Another favourite young adult writer is Shannon Hale. She writes about teenage girls in fantasy worlds. They are like feminist fairy tales, and reading them makes me wish that I could have given them to myself long ago.
I'll recommend The Book of a Thousand Days. Dashti, a servant girl, is locked into a tower with her mistress because of the lady's refusal to marry an evil lord. The story is about how Dashti finds her strength to survive.
Hale also wrote the Princess Academy and The Goose Girl. They are engaging reads, and will help you remember being a teenager.
My third recommended book is Cornelia Funke's The Thief Lord. Two orphan brothers are threatened with separation. They run away to Venice, Italy because their late mother described it so lovingly. A thief lord gives them shelter in an abandoned movie theatre. But who is he?
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