"Chime" by Franny Billingsley

“This isn’t a proper story, and I’m telling you, I ought to be hanged.” Briony is convinced she is a witch, and that her actions have cast evil upon her family. Her step-mother died and her twin sister is horribly ill, and Briony feels guilty for both. Years ago, Briony started a fire that destroyed the library in her family’s home, and everything she does seems to cast more hardship upon the ones she loves. Unfortunately, she can’t tell anyone she’s a witch, or else the local townspeople will hang her without mercy. Briony looks for solutions to her problems from the Old Ones, supernatural beings that haunt her local swamp. And when handsome Eldric comes to live in her village of Swampsea, Briony’s emotions overwhelm her and she’s forced to come to terms with her true identity.

"Displacement" by Thalia Chaltas

Vera is determined to make a new life for herself. After her sister's accidental drowning, she finds her mother absent from their lives, and her older sisters is tired of looking after her siblings. Vera finds herself in the small town of Garrett, a deserted mining town in the vicinity of Death Valley. The town is mostly abandoned, and Vera goes about making herself useful. She obtains work with a local potter at his kiln, and does some bookkeeping for an Indian boy, Lon, who is a local art dealer. He also attracts Vera's attention as a potential love interest. Vera soon learns that small towns have no secrets. As she tries to escape her grief from her sister's death, she is constantly haunted by her ghost, and reminded how far she is from home. Thalia Chaltas does a remarkable job of telling Vera's story of independence and grieving. This is Chaltas's second novel-in-verse, after her debut "Because I am Furniture" in 2009 chronicled the patterns of an abusive father. Quick, thoughtful, eloquent reads. And this cover is fantastic.

"Glimpse" by Carol Lynch Williams

Ellen Hopkins has new competition for novels in verse. Sisters Hope and Lizzie have a very close, loving friendship. But when Lizzie tries to commit suicide, Hope struggles to understand why. Lizzie is sent to a mental hospital for observation. Their mother isn't the best role model and their father died in a car accident years ago. The secrets revealed at the end are powerful and dark.

"Anatomy of Wings" by Karen Foxlee

Jenny was enamored with her older sister, Beth. Beth had grace, charm and beauty, and made everything appear effortless. In this novel, Jenny recounts their adolescence in a small, Australian mining town. Their neighbors and family watch Beth self-destruct, as she morphs from an innocent young girl into a mischievous delinquent. Spiraling out of control, Beth is earning an unfavorable reputation around town, and her parents are out of ideas on how to tame their wild daughter.

Beth dies from an accidental fall from the town’s water tower and the family is hit hard by grief. Jenny loses her singing voice, their spiritual grandmother becomes estranged from the family, and her parents are on the brink of splitting up. Someone in town knows what was going through Beth’s head before her untimely death. Jenny is determined to piece together the clues, relying on a box of Beth’s keepsakes.

Being a teenager doesn’t last forever, but it sure can feel permanent when you’re living it. Beth’s premature death is a reminder of the struggle of adolescence and the mindset of youth. This is a captivating coming-of-age novel, good for 8th grade and up.

"Identical" by Ellen Hopkins

Identical twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne lead what looks like the perfect life. But appearances can be deceiving. Eight years ago, their father, a respected judge, was involved in a fatal car accident. Since the incident, their home life has been in shambles. Their mother is embarked on an ambitious campaign for congress, and is emotionally unavailable. Kaeleigh endures repulsive sexual abuse from her father, and turns to cutting and bulimia to stifle her pain. Raeanne rebels against her family and finds solace in drugs and promiscuity. Each twin tells her side of the story in alternating verse. This is raw emotion, and will draw the reader in, but not for the faint of heart. Best for 9th and up.

"Outside Beauty" by Cynthia Kadohata

Helen Kimura is a gorgeous woman. Men are immediately attracted to her and easily fall in love. Helen is mom to 4 girls - Shelby, Maddie, Lakey, and Marilyn. The girls may have different fathers, but they all adore their mother and soak up her advice on beauty and men. One phone call threatens to split up the girls and send them each to live with their father. They are determined to stay together, and will go to great lengths to remain a family.

"The Missing Girl" By Norma Fox Mazer

There are five girls in the Herbert family, and they depend on one another when their parents fail to do so. Beauty, Mim, Stevie, Fancy and Autumn. This story is told in alternating chapters, with each girl giving her perspective on their lives and daily activities. What the girls don't realize is that a local man has been following them, and is obsessed. His daily life begins to revolve around them and their activities. What starts as an innocent story about schoolgirls quickly turns into a psychological thriller, as the stalker does the unthinkable and changes the lives of the girls forever.