Major Crush by Jennifer Echols

When Virginia gets tired of the beauty pagent circuit, she pierces her nose and tries out for drum major. Virginia wins the position, however, she must be co-drum major with Drew, whose family has a long history of leading the band. Virginia and Drew immediately bump heads and the band struggles. A quick, funny, wonderful romance that will appeal to girls of all ages. Well developed and relatable characters, great dialog and realistic situations make this a strong novel that will appeal to more than just romance fans.

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

Calliope and her free spirit mother are always packing up and moving, following Renaissance Fairs around the country. Cal hates sleeping in tents, constantly having to pack up and leave treasures behind, and she misses her father. When they end up in Asheville, NC Cal feels like she has finally found home. She meets Eliot, whose parents run a religious "fat camp" and falls in love. Cal is finally happy and settled until her mother announces they are leaving- again. A well-developed and strong cast of characters really make this story. The alternating perspectives of Cal and Eliot is halarious. Unfortunately, the ending feels a bit rushed and points of the story drag out unnecessarily.

To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegel

When she was six years old Siena began to take dance lessons in Puerto Rico, which she continued after her family moved to Boston, moved back to Puerto Rico, and finally ended up in New York City where she studied at the School of American Ballet. There she thrives until suffering a serious injury at the end of her teen years. She goes on to college, but later returns to ballet because she "still needed to dance". To Dance is a beautiful story perfect for any aspiring ballerina. The simple, clean, colorful illustrations truly complement the text, neither of which glamorize the tough world of ballet. Everything flows well, from the text to the illustrations.

Safe House by James Heneghan

Twelve-year-old Liam Forgarty awakes suddenly in the middle of the night and witnesses his parents murder. Having seen the face of one of the gunman, Liam finds himself on the run hiding from the assassin. Liam seeks shelter with the family of his best friend, but the assassin finds him there and he only narrowly escapes a bullet. Liam soon finds himself hiding at a Catholic safe house with only his memories of his parents and the memories of his time in the Youth Circus and his flirtation with Nicole, a protestant girl at the Circus, to keep himself sane. When the assassin arrives at the safe house, Liam must flee for his life again. The fast-paced action of Liam's flight from the assassin is somewhat slowed by the frequent flashbacks to Liam's life before his parents brutal murder. The flashbacks, however, make Liam more human and his losses more real to readers. There is too much character development for a reluctant reader seeking lots of action, but not enough for a reader looking for a well developed cast of characters. The conflict is presented with a definite Catholic bias, but contains an obvious message against revenge. A short appendix at the end gives readers a small timeline explaining the conflict between Catholic and Protestant Irish in Northern Ireland.