Those That Wake by Jesse Karp

Karp's novel is set in a dystopian New York City of the not-too-distand future. The city has lost its mojo; people walk around mechanically, tuning out those around them and staying focused on their cellphones. The city's infrastructure is crumbling and everything has become grey and lifeless. Something dark and elusive is spreading, leaving behind a surge in suicides, traffic accidents, apathy and random violence. For Laura Westlake, this has meant that her once doting parents have forgotten she ever existed. They call Homeland Security to have her removed from their home. For Mal, it is the sudden call for help from his long-absent brother. Trying to track him, he finds Tommy's girlfriend, who leads him to a building no one else can see. Searching for his brother, he is attacked by whomever or whatever guards the structure. Eventually the two teens are thrown together with two other victims of this malignant and mysterious force. Together, the four of them must try to solve the question of who or what is taking over people's minds and destroying their past., while keeping alive their own will to resist. Mal and Laura struggle to rebuild their lives in a world where no one remembers who they are.

Starting slowly, the story speeds up as the forces of unrestrained corporate power close in on the characters. Mal and Laura are resourceful and determined. Those That Wake is an adventuresome, cautionary tale, well worth reading.

What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez

Marisa is a high school senior who dreams of going to college and becoming an engineer. Her favorite class is calculus, and her math teacher is encouraging her to apply to UT in Austin, certain she will be accepted. If only it were that simple. Marisa's family is Mexican, and ingrained in their culture is the commitment to familia and living a traditional life. For Marisa, this becomes daily babysitting for her 5-year old niece, Anita, while her sister Cecelia works. It means long hours as a check-out girl on weekends in order to help her family pay bills. It means cooking meals for her father when her mother is on the evening shift at a bakery. Studying for the AP Calculus exam and actually having a life of her own fall somewhere towards the bottom of the list. Marisa's boyfriend, Alan, himself a talented artist, encourages her to pursue her education, but sometimes his support comes at the price of Marisa's independence. Does she want Alan to solve her problems for her?

Perez has created a strong yet troubled teen in Marisa. Only she can figure out what her future holds, but she is torn between her need to please her family and her desire for more.