Yellow Line by Sylvia Olsen

Where Vince lives, the town is divided into two groups- whites on one side, Indians on another. The division goes in all aspects of life in the community- even seats on the school bus. Things change, however, when Vince's friend Sherry begins to date an Indian boy named Steve. Vince, along with Sherry's parents, and most of the white community have a big problem with Sherry's new boyfriend. Vince's attitude begins to change, however, when he meets Raedawn, an Indian girl to whom Vince finds himself attracted. This new entry to the Orca Soundings series presents a harsh look at racism and the attitudes about multi-racial dating. A short quick read with interesting characters and a storyline that will appeal to teen readers.

Wired by Sigmund Brouwer

Keegan Bishop is an extremely successful downhill racer. One afternoon during the time trial for an upcoming race, Keegan barely escapes a run in with wire stretched across the hill. Keegan is barely able to remove the wire before Cassie Bishop comes snowboarding down the hill. Cassie and Keegan set out to determine who is trying to hurt him and why. This suspenseful mystery title in the Orca Currents series is a fast-paced quick read. There is not a lot of character development or details in the story and setting, however the high action will appeal to readers who like lots of action. The speed in metric units will be confusing to American teens not used to seeing speed in kilometers.

Caribbean Cruising by Rachel Hawthorne

Eighteen-year-old Lindsay Darnell's mother is getting married on a cruise ship and is taking a Caribbean cruise for her honeymoon. Lindsay's new step-father, a wealthy businessman, has paid for Lindsay to go on the cruise as well, and has invited his god son and best man Ryan, along to keep Lindsay company. Lindsay is upset because she has a list of things she wants to accomplish on the cruise, and does not want to be babysat. Included on Lindsay's list are dancing all night, drinking margaritas by the pitcher, and sleeping with a guy for the first time. Very cute, light, quick, read. Perfect for beach reading, or for wanting to mentally escape a cold winter day. Lindsay is a likeable narrator who's desire to step outside her normal self and experience new things will connect with many teens. Sex is not explicit.

Love on the Lifts by Rachel Hawthorne

Kate and her friends Leah and Allie have been invited to spend their winter vacation at a condo owned by Kate's Aunt Sue. Unbeknownst to the girls, Kate's brother Sam and his friends Brad and Joe have also been invited to the condo for their vacation. Kate has been infatuated with Sam's roommate Brad since she went to family weekend with her parents. Her friends are determined that Kate and Brad will hook up during this vacation. Brad, however, shows no interest in Kate and what Kate doesn't realize is that her Prince Charming is right there, if she just opens her eyes. A cute winter romance, perfect for reading while curled up with a nice cup of hot cocoa. Kate is a likeable, albeit clueless narrator. She and her friends will ring true to most teenage girls. A quick fun read, with a sweet yet somewhat familiar romance. Sex is implied, not stated outright.

Maine Squeeze by Catherine Clark

Colleen Templeton spends her last summer before heading off to college working at Bobb's Lobster, a local seafood restaurant, and spending time with her friends while her parents take a second honeymoon in Europe. Colleen expects to have a terrific summer living with her friends, working at a job she enjoys and most importantly spending lots of quality time with her boyfriend Ben. Things don't turn out quite the way Colleen expects when her ex-boyfriend Evan returns to the Island and Colleen finds herself torn between her current boyfriend and last summer's flame. This slightly over done story line makes a light, fun, summer read. Colleen's summer is full of drama and angst. Will she choose Ben or Evan? Will she get her parent's house back together before their arrival?

Tropical Kiss by Jan Coffey

Megan Callahan is off to Aruba to spend her summer vacation with her father while her mother honeymoons in India and she is sure that she is going to have a miserable time. After all, she has hardly spoken with her father in three years, her broken leg will severely limit her mobility, and her fair Irish skin always severly burns. Her vacation is not off to a good start when her father's work prevents him from picking her up at the airport and instead sends his assistant, Cy. After making a new friend, finding a job, and spending quality time with Cy, Megan finds that life in Aruba is not nearly as bad as she thought it would be. As she is beginning to form a relationship with her father, she begins to suspect that he is involved with something very dangerous, and quite possibly illegal. This well-paced read has a mixture of romance, suspense and intrigue. Likeable characters, a fun romance, and a happy ending make this an enjoyable read for a day on the beach. The book contains sex, but it is not explicit.

Getting in the Game by Dawn Fitzgerald

Thirteen-year-old Joanna Giordano is determined to make her middle school boys hockey team- and no one, not the coach, the principal, her best friend's father, or any of the boys on the team are going to convince her otherwise. As if the pressure of being the only girl on the hockey team isn't enough, Jo has to deal with her parents separation and her father's anger management issues, her grandfather's rapid progression of Alzheimer's, bullying by her teammates and public ridicule by other students at school, and her best friend abandoning her when things start to get tough. Jo's narrative is realistic, fast-paced and funny. Though wise beyond her thirteen-years, Jo's character is strong and true- full of determination and angst. This short quick read is full of great hockey action and is sure to be a hit with female athletes, especially those who find themselves fighting to succeed in male dominated sports.

A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson

A poetic memorial to lynched teenage Emmett Till written as a heroic crown of sonnets in a Petrarchan rhyme scheme using a very formal form and language. There is an introduction by the author, as well as information about Emmett Till and an explanation of the sonnet. The artist also includes an explanation of his work.

An Order of Amelie, Hold the Fries by Nina Schindler

Tim sees the girl of his dreams while walking down the street. When he sees a name and address fall out of her bag, he picks it up and writes the girl a letter. Unfortunately, the girl he writes to is not the girl of his dreams, but one of her friends. Tim carries on correspondance with Amelie, despite her reservations. Will he be able to win her heart? This ultra-modern teen romance has a fun format (it is told entirely through letters, emails, quick notes, and text messages) and is sure to be a hit with reluctant readers. The black and white photographs, collages, and graphics will also have great teen appeal. The witty repartee between Tim and Amelie is fun and makes a quick read go by even faster.

Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud (Book 3 of the Bartimaeus Trilogy)

Bartimaeus has not left the mortal realm much in the last three years and while his spirit and wit remain, his essence is rapidly deteriorating making him essentially useless to Nathaniel, who has grown in power and become the Information Minister. Kitty Jones has gone into hiding and apprenticed herself to a magician, who begins to teach her some of the tricks of the trade. Nathaniel and Kitty are reunited and must work together with a weakened Bartimaeus to defeat their strongest foe yet. The conclusion to the Bartimaeus trilogy is as great as the first installment.

Even though Bartimaeus' essence is weakened, his tongue is still as sharp as ever. Readers learn much more about Bartimaeus in this volume, as his past is explored along with his connection to Ptolemy (who's likeness he frequently appears in). The narrative rotates between the first person narrative of Bartimaeus and third person narratives focusing on Nathaniel and Kitty. The plot takes a bit to get going, but once it does, you won't want to put it down. Full of magic and adventures with a somewhat unexpected and huge conclusion, this page turner will be devowered by fans of the previous two installments, and by anyone who enjoys a great adventure story.

Icing on the Lake by Catherine Clark

When Kirsten's sister Gretchen breaks her leg skiing, Kirsten agrees to move in with Gretchen to help her around the house and help care for Gretchen's three-year-old son Brett. Kirsten is determined to be more outgoing and assertive with guys in the Twin Cities and find herself a date for Groundhog Getaway (a weekend trip with her group of friends and their boyfriends). Kirsten meets the Benson brothers at the ice skating rink and soon begin running into them all over the place. Sean is good looking, outgoing, and nice while Conor is mean and doesn't seem to like Kirsten much. Could one of them be her date for Groundhog Getaway?

Cute winter romance- perfect for blizzard weekend reading! Reader's familiar with the Minneapolis/St. Paul area will enjoy the setting, especially since they will be familiar with things such as the Winter Carnival and the ice sculptures. Even readers who don't know the Twin Cities area will enjoy this winter romance- where skating, sledding, and skiing are preferred activities. Characters are realistic- the sibling rivalry between Conor and Sean is honest and Kirsten's attraction to both boys rings true. Kirsten's voice is full of angst and humor. In the fashion of romance novels, the story wraps up nice (and almost too) clean at the end where everyone lives happily ever after. The raciest the novel gets is a few kisses (mentioned not described) and the fact that the girls will be spending a weekend getaway with their boyfriends. The novel is perfect for girls looking for a clean, sweet romance or who enjoy winter activities.