"The Summer I Turned Pretty" by Jenny Han

As long as she can remember, Isabel (aka Belly) has spent every summer at the beach. It's always the same people - her mom, her brother Stephen, her mom's best friend Susannah, and Susannah's two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Gorgeous beach house, private pool where Belly loves to swim, and the leisurely pace of summer vacation. Belly's grown up with Conrad and Jeremiah, but the summer she turns 16, things get complicated. Jeremiah obviously has a crush on Belly, but Belly is into Conrad, who doesn't have the same feelings. Belly meets Cam at a beach bonfire and a relationship blossoms. What happens when summer is over and everyone goes home? Belly is surrounded by boys, but struggles with her emotions, why does love have to be so hard?

"Glass" by Ellen Hopkins

This is the sequel to "Crank," the story of how Kristina Snow met the monster, or crystal methamphetamine. Kristina's taking care of her new baby, studying for the GED and attempting to get her life back on track. She finds herself in a dark depression and she turns to the monster for temporary relief. Her addiction escalates and spirals out of control. This is a heartbreaking story of Kristina's struggle with drugs, and how her negative choices damage her body and her relationships with those she loves, including her young son. Powerful and disturbing.

"Extra Credit" by Andrew Clements

Abby's grades are failing, and her teachers inform her she's got to repeat 6th grade. How embarrassing, can it get any worse? There's only one way to redeem herself, a special extra credit project. Abby is assigned a penpal in Afghanistan, a boy named Sadeed. They exchange letters and learn about each other's lives. Abby is addicted to rock climbing, but lives in flat Illinois. Sadeed lives among some of the world's highest mountains, yet focuses on his studies and helps out with his family's business. They develop a special friendship even though their countries are thousands of miles apart.