Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
While accompanying his father on a photo-shoot to France, Ned Marriner
explores an ancient church where he bumps in Kate, an American exchange student.
Over the next few days, odd things start to happen - man threatens to kill them, wild dogs attack, a fantastical Celtic warrior appears.
Then, a young woman who works for Ned's father disappears when she becomes entangled in love triangle that has recurred every generation for the past 2000 years.
To save her life, Ned must find Ysabel, the woman at the centre of the triangle.
I found Ysabel interesting enough to stick with it. The overlapping of modern with ancient, Ned's transformation from teen to adult, the need for each generation to know when to give way to the next - these are elements that give this book texture. As well, Ned's developing supernatural abilities and the chase across France to find Ysabel provide enough excitement to keep turning pages.
A good choice for older teens - male or female - 14 or 15 and up through adults. Also a good choice for English literature if the teacher is okay with modern fantasy. The author is Canadian and the book has won an Alex Award. However, I would be interested to know if teens reading it do find it compelling.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
Claire may be brilliant but because she is only sixteen her parents refuse to let her go to a big university like Harvard or MIT. They figure that Claire would be safer and happier attending a small college in a small town. They figure wrongly. After Claire's bullying room-mates push her down a flight of stairs she finds refuge with three teenagers living in a comfortable, shabby, old house. She feels safe with her new friends but her sense of security disappears when she learns that the town is controlled by vampires who don't hesitate to dine on unprotected humans such as herself.
Part of the appeal of Glass House is the juxtaposition of the frightening confrontations with the supernatural (as well as the bullies) with the mundane activities of everday life. Claire needs to get to classes on time, groceries have to be bought, house-mates have to get along. At the same time, bullies need to be dodged and vampires dealt with. And just what is up with housemate Michael who only seems to appear at night but disappears as soon as the sun starts to rise?
Recommended for older teens

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
14-year-old Alex Rider is orphaned when his uncle, a spy for the British government, is murdered. When the spy agency M16 gives him a choice between going to an orphanage or going undercover for them he reluctantly chooses the latter. His mission: infiltrate the organization of multibillionaire Herod Sayle who will be donating a state-of-the-art computer to each school-child in Great Britain. Is Sayle genuinely thanking his adoptive country through this fantastic gift or are does he have a different motive. Alex is sure that the sinister multibillionaire is up to no good but how to prove it with only a couple of days before the computers will be in the hands of children across the country? Since Stormbreaker is the first in a series, we know that Alex will prevail, but what a page-turning adventure! Armed with a fistful of cool gadgets and a blackbelt in karate Alex must battle the nefarious Sayle and his minions to save not only his own life but a whole generation of children.
The Alex Rider books don't need to be read in any particular order to enjoy them, although Stormbreaker does provide background to Alex's involvement in M16. However, given that these books don't spend much time on the library shelves just grab whichever title is available and enjoy!
Great for boys 10 to 14