The Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival (TBF) is celebrating its tenth year on May 16th! Get ready for this huge event with over thirty authors by checking out some of their books. For more information on TBF, visit www.teenbookfestival.org.
Teen Book Fest – 2015
The Body in the Woods By April Henry Henry Holt, 2014, hardcover, $16.99, Ages 10-16
Alexis, Nick, and Ruby join a search and rescue team for different reasons, but when they discover a dead girl, they must come together to find the killer before he finds them. The three distinct points-of-view make for a fast read and good introduction to this new mystery series.
Atlantia By Ally Condie Dutton, 2014, hardcover, $18.99, Ages 12-18
Rio is a Siren in the underwater world of Atlantia, a place built years ago by those Above when the air turned toxic. Rio plots to join her sister Above until secrets are revealed about their world that put her kind in danger. The dreamy voice of this novel adds to its atmosphere and makes it a solid standalone dystopian novel.
Exile By Kevin Emerson Katherine Tegen Books, 2014, hardcover, $17.99, Ages 12-18
Summer Carlson loves PopArts Academy, the L.A. high school where she seeks out new musical talent to manage. When she takes on vocalist Caleb Daniels, the son of a rock star who left behind clues to his infamous lost tracks, she is sure she can take his band to the top. Summer’s voice is catchy and smart in this fun story about the L.A. music scene.
The Living By Matt de la Peña Ember, 2015, paperback, $9.99, Ages 12-18
Shy joins the crew of a luxury cruise ship the summer before his senior year. Then the Big One hits the west coast and a tsunami destroys the ship. If Shy survives the ocean, will he be able to survive the other survivors? From page one, this novel grips its readers with tension, and the ending is satisfying and sets up a promising sequel.
Talon By Julie Kagawa Harlequin Teen, 2014, hardcover, $17.99, Ages 12-18
Ember and her brother are young dragons of Talon, training to fit in with humans in a California beach town. There, Ember meets Garret, a dragonslayer, and Riley, a rogue dragon, who make her question her allegiances to Talon and what they stand for. An entertaining read for light fantasy fans with forbidden romance and a love triangle.
The Boy in the Black Suit By Jason Reynolds Atheneum, 2015, hardcover, $17.99, Ages 14-18
Matt is still grieving for his mother who died of cancer when his dad winds up in the hospital. He gets a job at the local funeral home, taking solace in the sadness of others, until he meets Love, a girl who helps him heal. The dialog and voice in this novel are authentic and the characters are lovable. A great story about loss, love, family, and friendship.
I Was Here By Gayle Forman Viking, 2015, hardcover, $18.99, Ages 14-18
Cody’s best friend, Meg, committed suicide while off at college, so Cody sets out to discover why. She digs into Meg’s old emails and learns about a disturbing group to which she belonged. This sad, truthful look at depression and is honest and raw. 
More Reads
Here are more must-know titles by TBF stars:
Middle Grade
- The Misfits series By James Howe
- The Sisters Grimm series By Michael Buckley
Young Adult
- Crank By Ellen Hopkins
- Eighth Grade Bites By Heather Brewer
- Feed By M. T. Anderson
- Monument 14 series By Emmy Laybourne
- Rot & Ruin series By Jonathan Maberry
- Someone Like You By Sarah Dessen
- Stuck in Neutral By Terry Trueman
- Unwind series By Neal Shusterman
- The Warrior Heir By Cinda Willimas Chima
- You By Charles Benoit
Deena Viviani is a Rochester-based Young Adult Services Librarian.
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