Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

While the reader learns in the very beginning that humans survive the attempt at mass destruction of their species, as orchestrated by a secretive and technologically dominant artificial intelligence, the retelling of the crisis is fraught with suspense. The author creates characters and then puts them in life-threatening situations as they are confronted by a variety of robots (think Star Wars on steroids) who are deadly, unrelenting in pursuit of humans, and increasingly adaptable to terrain and counter-strategies. They can repair and redesign themselves, control communication centers and satellites, and surgically modify human prisoners to make them more useful and less free. The author, a specialist with a PhD in robotics, has described a world in which modern automobiles take over city streets by running over pedestrians and destroying their human occupants in horrific crashes, formerly passive "house" robots become killers, and military hardware with automated systems becomes, well, you can imagine. The book reads like a video game, with viewpoints shifting from former military and police to creative civilians--hackers, building demolition experts, and a young girl with heightened awareness of AI communications. The story isn't deep, but it's fun (and a little gory). Recommended.

Everybody Sees the Ants

This novel by A.S. King focuses on the tormented life of Lucky Linderman. Since he was seven, having just lost his grandmother to cancer, Lucky has been the victim of relentless bullying. His parents seem incapable of dealing with their own demons, much less helping him confront Nader McMillan. Lucky escapes from his world through dreams. He is on a mission to rescue his grandfather, who was MIA in Vietnam. Just before she died, Lucky's grandmother told him it was up to Lucky to find his grandfather and bring him home. The dreams are vivid; it seems as if he is actually in the jungle. At times Lucky wakes with evidence from his grandfather or Vietnamese soil in his hands.

On top of everything else, a school survey he developed to track suicidal tendencies of his classmates has landed him in hot water with the administration, counselor, and his parents. He obviously needs therapy, but no one wants to explore what--or who-- really is bothering him.

Lucky is an appealing character and while his suffering at the hands of Nader is difficult to hear, he struggles to be resilient and it is easy to root for him.

Stay with Me by Paul Griffin

In Stay with Me, author Griffin uses alternating voices to tell the story of doomed love between Mack Morse and Cece Vaccuccia. Mack is a 15-year-old high school dropout with a record; he also suffers from learning disabilities and anger management issues. What he can do is train dogs, and he has made a practice of rescuing and rehabilitating pit bulls. Cece is a girl with ambition; she wants to transfer to a gifted and talented school (by acing the G and T exam) and leave her past, including an alcoholic mother, behind. Mack and Cece are drawn to each other and their relationship deepens, but suspense builds, because you know it can't last. There are too many instances when Mack almost loses control and becomes violent. He is as devoted to his recently adopted pit bull as he is to girlfriend, but can he keep the dog safe? There is also the question of what will happen to Anthony, Cece's brother. He has enlisted in the army and will be sent to Afghanistan. Cece is convinced that he will not come back.

Griffin has idealized some of the characters, such as Vic, the owner of the Italian restaurant that employs Mack, Cece and Cece's mom. Yet the main characters are complex and seem real. As more of the characters' back stories are revealed, the reader better understands them and their challenges. Their fates are marked with tragedy and hope. Recommended for older teens (language and sexual situations). ``

The Radleys by Matt Haig

The Radleys is a clever, satiric novel written on the premise that there are many vampires in the world who want to live "normal" lives; they can give up hunting and killing and become like their neighbors--slightly boring and predictable, but content. Peter and Helen have become "abstainers" because they want to provide the best for their children. They delay telling the teens, Clara and Rowan, about their heritage, even though it would help explain their sensitivity to the sun, sleep and skin problems, mood swings and, with Rowan, increasingly dark and disturbing dreams and thoughts.

Try as they might, the Radleys seem a little "off" to their neighbors. Their children are unhappy; Rowan is constantly being bullied at school and Clara has only one friend besides her brother. Then the unthinkable happens--there is a kill. As Helen struggles to contain the damage and protect her children, Peter calls on his brother Will, an active vampire, to help with a cover-up. As a family and as individuals, the Radleys must eventually confront their past and face who and what they are.

This is a refreshing take on vampire lore and the co-existence of vampires and humans. The Radleys contains humor, suspense, and complex, satisfying characters. Recommended.

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.

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird

Laird has created a suspenseful story about a young girl's resilience in the face of persecution and betrayal. Maggie Blair is a poor orphan being raised by her strange, bitter, and often cruel grandmother. When a baby in their hamlet dies, everyone suspects that Elspeth Blair had cursed him, and both women are arrested and tried for being witches. Maggie escapes and flees to her uncle's home, where she learns that he and his family are devout Presbyterians, "Covenanters," who are secretly defying the efforts of King Charles II to place Anglican bishops in charge of their worship. During this period, known as the Killing Times, covenanters are persecuted and often tortured and executed as a consequence of their faith.

Maggie is a spirited and strong heroine, a hard worker and willing student. Her nemesis, Annie, is unrelenting in her hatred for Maggie, but actually understandable as she schemes to escape the dismal future that awaits for her. Many of the stories in the book about the Blairs and other simple farmers and their families reveal the extreme sacrifices many are willing to make for faith and are founded in actual events. Laird's book provides a compelling introduction to the hard lives and religious controversies of the time.