London Calling by Edward Bloor

Martin hates the private school he is attending. Henry Lowery and his gang are bullying him, but school officials won't help because Henry's family donates much-needed money to the school. When a bullying incident leads to a statue of Henry's great-grandfather, World War 2 hero General "Hollerin' Hank" Lowery, being damaged, Martin and his friends are unfairly blamed. Depressed, Martin retreats to his basement bedroom feeling that his life has no purpose, but when he inherits a 1940's radio from his grandmother his , perspective begins to change.

As he is drifting off to sleep one night, he hears the voice of a little boy over the radio, and suddenly he finds himself in London England during the blitz. Jimmy needs his help but for what?

This is a marvelous book on many. It gives young readers a gripping glimpse of a period in London's history where every moment of life to mattered because it was so precarious. It provides reflection on the nature of history - who determines how it will be seen by future generations. And it is shows a boy learning to determine his own path in life rather one that has been determined by others. Oh yes - and all written beautifully

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

A plane mysteriously appears on a tarmac. Inside the plane, there is no pilot, no crew, no adults. However, there are 36 babies strapped into the seats and after the last baby is removed, the plane vanishes as mysteriously as it appears.

Thirteen years later, Jonah and his new friend Chip, both of them adoptees, begin to receive odd and threatening notes in the mail. When they start to investigate, with the help of Jonah's sister, Katherine, the FBI tries to discourage them with threats such as deportation. Next, strangers offering help appear and disappear mysteriously but are friends or enemies? Jonah, Chip, and Katherine scramble to find out what is happening, and, more important, to discover the true identity of the boys.

This one pulls in readers right from the start and with a cliffhanger ending, has them looking forward to the next installment.

First in a series

Farthing by Jo Walton

In an alternative world of the 1940's, Europe has been taken over by Nazi Germany. England has made peace with Hitler and political control is in the hands of a facist upperclass group that calls itself the Farthing Set. Against this backdrop, Lord and Lady Eversley, members of the Farthing Set, host a weekend party, during which another member of the Farthing Set is murdered. A Star of David has been pinned to his chest and suspicion immediately falls upon David Kahn, the Jewish husband of Lucy Eversley, daughter of Lord and Lady Eversley. Lucy and David realize that he has been set up to take the blame, as does Inspector Carmichael from Scotland Yard. As the Kahn's and Carmichael attempt to find the real killer, it appears that the crime is a political one with huge implications for the future of England.

While not a book about teenagers, and not marketed to teens, this should have cross-over appeal to those look for an engrossing mystery which also provides a lot of food for thought.

The Squad: Perfect Cover by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Bayport High School's varsity cheerleading team is composed of the most beautiful, the most athletic, the best-dressed, and the most popular girls in town. Toby Klein may be a black-belt in karate and an expert computer hacker but she has no school spirit, dresses badly, and has a tendency to beat up the guys who pick on her younger brother. She is horrified to be invited to join the cheerleading team until she learns that the girls are actually highly trained spys for the United States government Their cover is perfect - who would expect anything from a cheerleader?
What follows is lots of great clothes and accessories that double as spy gadgets, lots of girl bonding and gossip, lots of wildly improbable technology (a huge spy complex under the school). The reader really needs to suspend disbelief for Squad books (their is mention of Charlie's Angels but it reminded me even more of the Teletoon show "Spy Girls), but this looks like a fun series for those who are happy to do so.

Staying Fat For Sarah Byrne by Chris Cructher

Since grade school, obese Eric (Moby) has been best friends with Sarah Byrnes, a girl who was horribly disfigured by an accident at the age of three. In high-school Eric joined the swim team and began to slim down. Fearing that Sarah would feel alienated by his new appearance he tried to "stay fat" for her for almost a year, until Sarah pointed out to him that their lives were bound to eventually go in different directions but that their friendship would not be affected by his weight loss. But now Sarah is in a near-catatonic state in the pychiatric ward of the hospital and Eric is desperate to help her. As he hopes for a break-through with Sarah, he and his friends question why this is happening to her and what they can do - and there are no easy answers.

While the hardcover book jacket is a little dated, the characters and situations are as fresh and relevant as when the book was published in 1993.

The 13th Floor by Sid Fleishman
In attempting to find his sister Liz, who has disappeared, Buddy steps off the elevator onto the 13th floor of the old building and finds himself 300 years in the past on a pirate ship. And it just happens to be a ship belonging to an infamous ancestor, Captain Crackstone who according to family history was hanged for piracy. When the ship is set upon by other pirates in search of treasure, Buddy and the captain are set adrift in a small boat. Fortunately, they are washed ashore in New England, but only to face new problems. Another of Buddy's ancestors, 10-year-old Abigail, is being charged with witchcraft and Buddy's sister Liz, who happens to be a lawyer is defending her. Unfortunately, Liz is a little too modern and ends up under suspicion of witchcraft herself. Somehow, they need to save Abigail, save Captain Crackstone, and get themselves home, preferably with some of the Captain's treasure.
There's lots of action in this fast-paced story, but it's all kept pretty light-hearted with Fleishman managing to sucessfully juggle all these sub-stories and neatly wrap everything up in a little over 200 pages.

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Ruby is living by herself in a broken-down old farmhouse after her mom takes off on her. In a few months she will be eighteen and legally independent but when social services learns of her situation she is obliged to live with her older sister, whom she has not seen for many years. Suddenly, she is living in a beautiful house and going to a private school, but Ruby is uncomfortable with the situation. Because she feels that everyone she has ever cared about ultimately leaves, she is determined not to get close to anyone or to rely on anyone. But life doesn't work that way. As the people around her, including the popular guy next door, begin to find their way into her life, she finds that they too have problems and secrets to deal with. While Ruby and other characters are well-developed and the plot an interesting one, I found that the dialogue was a bit unbelievable. Lessons about relationships are provided through conversations and I kept thinking that people really don't talk like this. However, Sarah Dessen is tremendously popular and this would be a good bet to recommend to teen girls who like books about working through problems in relationships. Another one, in the same genre, but much shorter is Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Poor Percy. He's been kicked out of six schools in six years for being a troublemaker but he doesn't begin to know the meaning of trouble until his math teacher turns into a monster and tries to kill him while on a class visit to the museum. It turns out that Percy's dad is a Greek god, Poseidon, no less, and life for the offspring of the immortals tends to be dangerous and short. Percy must head to Camp Half-Blood where along with other children of Greek gods he can learn skills that will help him to survive. But after being accused of stealing Zeus's lightning bolt he must set out on a quest to find it before all-out war breaks out between the gods with humanity as the casualty.

There is plenty of action in The Lightning Thief but it is also laced with lots of humour, much of it emanating from the modern twist Riordan gives the Greek gods. The Camp Director happens to be Dionysius, punished for some past infraction by being forced into doing good works with youth; Mount Olympus is on the 60oth floor of the Empire State Building; chapters have amusing titles such as "Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death".

Kids who are not familiar with Greek mythology may be tempted to do more background reading. Those who are, will be amused by how Riordan incorporates the ancients into a modern story.

Highly recommended for tweens.