"Calamity Jack" by Shannon and Dean Hale

Jack (of beanstalk fame) is always trying to set things right, even when it involves stealing from the rich and powerful to teach them a lesson. He’s been in his fair share of trouble, especially when he decides to break into a certain giant’s house and steal some golden eggs. One tiny bean turns into a giant green tower, and Jack turns into a wanted man. He’s forced to leave his hometown, his mother, and ventures into the Wild West, where he joins forces with Rapunzel. Years pass, and Jack returns home, only to find the giant has taken over the town, and is holding his mother prisoner. Jack and Rapunzel join forces, and with the help of magic pixies, justice may finally be served.

This is a great retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, with an added punch of adventure and a surprising love triangle. Shannon and Dean Hale also wrote Rapunzel’s Revenge, another awesome fairy tale twist.

"The Storm in the Barn" by Matt Phelan

It hasn't rained in years. The fields are dried up, crops are ruined and people are starting to leave town. The year is 1937, and Jack's family is living in the middle of the Dust Bowl. Jack can't tell if he's going crazy, or experiencing "dust dementia" when he discovers a mysterious creature living in the neighbor's barn. This book won the Scott O'Dell award for Historical Fiction.

"When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead

Bad things keep happening to Miranda. Her friend Sal gets beat up on the street. The apartment she shares with her mom gets broken into. And her best girlfriends are being brats!

Someone, somewhere, knows when and where these bad things are going to happen. Miranda keeps receiving mysterious notes that give specific details on what's going to happen in Miranda's life. And they come true! How is this possible?

Miranda lives in New York City. She's street smart, curious and one sharp student. She doesn't necessarily believe in magic, but there has to be a reasonable explanation.

If you liked "A Wrinkle in Time", you will love, love, love this book!

"Also Known As Harper" by Ann Haywood Leal

5th grade Harper has a lot on her mind. Her dad left home, after arguing with her mom about his drinking. Harper, her younger brother Hem, and her mom are evicted from their apartment after not paying their rent. Things only seem to get worse. But Harper has always found comfort in her words. She's even named after her mom's favorite book, "To Kill A Mockingbird." So when a poetry competition comes up at school, Harper is confident she's got a shot at winning. But things don't go according to plan, when her family is forced to move.

"The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

Thomas is hit with amnesia, when he wakes up in an elevator that delivers him to the Glade. The Glade is home to about 60 teenage boys, a contained environment, cut off from the outside world. They've been there about 2 years, but none of them have any recollection of how they got there, and they can't seem to find a way out.

The Glade is attached to a giant maze, whose gates open every morning and close every night. The maze is home to the terrifying Grievers, giant balls of metal and flesh, ready to eat anything, including boys who enter the maze.

The maze seems like a viable exit, yet attempts to navigate the labyrinth prove unsuccessful. It's hard to chart a map when your terrain keeps changing shape!

Supplies are mysteriously delivered to the Glade, and the boys are determined to survive.

Wierd things start to happen, including a girl arriving to the Glade, with a note explaining that everything is about to change. How did they get there? Who's in charge of this reality? Will they be able to find a way home?

If you liked The Hunger Games, you will LOVE The Maze Runner!

"Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia and Cassie have been best friends for years. They are competing against each other in a battle of will power, strength and determination to see who can get the skinniest. They were encouraging each other to self destruct and Cassie won.

Cassie died from complications from bulimia.

Being dead doesn’t stop Cassie from haunting Lia. Her ghost is following Lia and tempting her to join her on the other side. Cassie encourages Lia to self destruct, cutting and continuing to starve herself. Lia is forced into treatment by her parents, but it’s hard to recover when your best friend is telling you to self destruct.

"Ash" by Malinda Lo

The story of Cinderella has been retold hundreds of times, each with its own variation on the classic rags to riches story. My favorite version usually involves one of the step-sisters chopping off their toes to try to fit the magic slipper.

Ash has a fairly miserable existence. After her father's death, she is sent to live with her horrid stepmother and two spoiled brats for stepsisters. Forced to become a servant to them, her days are long and tiresome, and she dreams of escape.

But at least the house is nice. It's a grand estate set on the edge of the ancient Royal Woods. This is where Ash stumbles across the King's Huntress, Kaisa, and strikes up an unlikely friendship.

Ash spends most of her leisure time in the woods, and loves the tranquility and serene beauty. Some claim that a magical realm still persists in the depths of the woods. When she was little, Ash's mother read fairy tales to her, and some think her mother had a special connection to the fairy world

On one of her explorations, Ash meets Sidhean, her mystical fairy godfather. Sidhean provides Ash with enough magic to escape her stepfamily and attend the royal ball where the prince will choose his new bride.

Ash is torn between her friendship with Kaisa, her feelings towards the prince and finding her place in the universe, her reality or the fairy world.

A beautiful twist on a classic with a very surprising ending.