Elinor has always been one of the Chosen, from as far back as she can remember. It is her destiny to become bonded to the cult leader as soon as she turns 16, a ritual that Elinor is happy and proud to be part of. But a chance encounter in the woods stirs emotions and memories that have long been suppressed. Suddenly all her beliefs are being challenged and she starts to question her role in the cult. But will she ever be able to break free of the bonds that tie her to true cause?
Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In the journal she is keeping for English class, sixteen-year-old Tish chronicles the changes in her life when her abusive father returns home after a two-year absence.
Shy and unremarkable, seventeen-year-old Matt Lathrop is surprised and flattered to find himself singled out for the sexual attentions of the alluring Skye Colbly, until he discovers the evil purpose behind her actions.
As winter progresses, the strange man in the worn flight jacket dances frequently on the ice of the rink, expressing more with his movements than most people do with words.
After being brutally raped, Grady finally goes to a new high school where he meets an outgoing African American and several other students who try to help him deal with the horrible secret that is robbing him of his life.
In Randall's Wall, Randall Lord, destitute and filthy-dirty, retreats behind an invisible wall that isolates and protects him from the cruelty of others -- until his talent for drawing and the unexpected friendship of a classmate cause Randall's wall to crumble, and a new world opens up for him.
Freaky Green Eyes
by Professor of Humanities Joyce Carol Oates
Fifteen-year-old Frankie relates the events of the year leading up to her mother's mysterious disappearance and her own struggle to discover and accept the truth about her parents' relationship.
Burl Crow hasn't had many breaks in his young life. His father is a manipulative lout with a dangerous temper; his mother, worn down by years of abuse, now resorts to her little helpers to get her through the days. Then he meets Nathaniel Orlando Gow, the Maestro, and in just one day, this eccentric genius changes Burl's life forever.
When twelve-year-old Nell and her best friend, Lydia, are forbidden to see each other, they hatch a plan to spend their summer days in an abandoned miniature golf course, where they soon find others in search of a home.
Growing up poor and neglected in post-World War II England, young Mick, longing to be part of a loving family as he is shuttled from home to home, must harden himself against disappointment and cruelty--and, finally, against the abusive father he only recently met.