All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Theodore Finch meets Violet Markey when both climb to the school's bell tower to contemplate what it would mean to jump.  Forever searching for a way to justify living, Finch combines two projects--a geography class assignment to visit special places in the state (Indiana) and helping Violet to deal with her despair at the recent loss of her older sister.  The pair's developing relationship is told in alternating viewpoints that contrast Finch's irrepressible nature and attraction to Violet with her reluctance to be associated with someone commonly known as Freak.  The dialog is witty and the teens are sympathetic and engaging. The book deals with  love, responsibility,  family dysfunctions, school bullying and peer pressure, and mental illness.  This is both a satisfying and heart-wrenching story.

The Islands At the End of The World and The Girl at the Center of the Worldby Austin Aslan

This proved to be a great Thanksgiving escape!  Aslan's book has a little bit of everything--take an apocalyptic collapse of civilized society; add an an epic journey for teen Leilani and her Dad, who are two islands removed from their home on the Big Island of Hawaii when disaster strikes; and season with  large doses of Hawaiian culture,  the mysteries of space, nuclear radiation, and epilepsy.  The novel starts out slowly as we follow Lei and her dad to Oahu, where she is a subject of research on the effectiveness of a new seizure medication.  As the city gradually shuts down due to a mysterious loss of power and the resulting panic, the Miltons realize they need to get home while they still can.  This means stashing food and their gear in their backpacks and trying to find a way across two islands in the absence of air travel and cruise ships.  The series of adventures includes forced incarceration in a military camp and close escapes from crazed and desperate people struggling for their own survival.

At first this looked like another version of  Cormac McCarthy's The Road.  There is the same desperation, the same conflict between doing what seems right and what is necessary, and the deep love of family.  Aslan adds more hope and a more defined goal that keep Lei and her father going.  There are two problems and two journeys--one, how to get home and find the rest of the family, and the other, to try and figure out why their world is crumbling around them.   Aslan ties it all together in a fast-paced story that also leaves one with lots to chew on, along with leftovers.

The second volume takes up where the first leaves off.  The Miltons struggle to grow enough food and manage scarce resources to survive until order returns to the islands.  Leilani has managed to communicate with an alien presence but life is full of danger--from the warring tribes on the big island and from powers that seek to steal her power.  More Hawaiian culture and a love interest or two add to Leilani's story.

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green has provided one of the most satisfying reads so far this summer. Teen Hazel Grace, diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer, confronts issues of life, death and love. Hazel meets cancer survivor Augustus Waters at a group therapy session which her mother forces her to attend. Attraction is mutual and immediate. Hazel's narration of their developing relationship is loaded with witty dialog and dark humor as well as explorations of what it means to die unremarked or forgotten. The plot turns around Hazel's need to contact the reclusive author of her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, which is about a young girl who dies of cancer. The books ends abruptly, leaving exasperating questions about what happened to Anna's mother, her friends and her hamster. Hazel, with Gus's help, is determined to discover the answers, even though the author now lives in Amsterdam and has never acknowledged her many letters. Although Green emphasizes that the book is fiction, it nonetheless thoughtfully explores what life for a teenager dealing with cancer can be like. It is both serious and light-hearted: "Hazel GRACE!" he[Gus] shouted. "You did not use your one dying Wish to go to Disney World with your parents. . . . I can't believe I have a crush on a girl with such cliche wishes."

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

According to data posted on the website of the Washington State Attorney General, relationship violence is the number one cause of injury to women ages 15-44. Seventy percent of severe or fatal injuries occur when a woman seeks to end an abusive relationship. In a 2005 survey, one in five teenagers (ages 13-18) reported feeling threatened by violence when attempting to break up with an abusive partner. Thirteen percent of teenage girls reported being hit by their partner. (Survey: Love is Not Abuse) Various studies have shown that the frequency of domestic and relationship violence has increased during the recent economic downturn.

In the Bitter End, Alex tells her story of her life before Cole--losing her mother at an early age, being emotionally distant from her father, feeling like a loser at school. When sports star and overall great guy Cole Cozen transfers to Alex's high school, she becomes his English tutor to help him get caught up. Over time, their relationship deepens. Cole is romantic, thoughtful and cool, and he makes her feel special and understands her. Then the abuse starts--just a painful squeeze or a push at first, followed by remorse and loving attention. Then there is the increasing awareness that he is following her and making accusations about her relationship with her friends, Bethany and Zack. Part of Alex knows she's in trouble, but another part doesn't want to lose Cole when he is at his most affectionate.

Brown tells of Alex's struggles in a realistic and sympathetic way. Alex has friends, but cannot bring herself to tell what is happening, especially since she thinks it is her own fault. Fear, isolation, self-doubt are all part of an abuse victim's profile. (Only 33% of abused teens report on their abuse to a friend (ibid).) Alex's two friends try to help, but Alex snubs them. The tension mounts as Alex moves closer to making a choice and dealing with the consequences.

This is a moving and informative account of dealing with dating violence. Recommended.