Books for Grandparents - March 2012

FOR TEENS

Cinder
By Marissa Meyer
(Feiwel and Friends, $17.99; ages 12 and up)
Meyer imaginatively transports the classic story of Cinderella far into the future. The star: Cinder, a teenage cyborg mechanic living with her adoptive family in New Beijing. Plague, prejudice and — of course — a prince all play their parts in this thrilling science-fiction adventure.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
By Jennifer E. Smith
(Little, Brown/Poppy, $17.99; ages 12 and up)
A missed connection offers a chance at true love for 17-year-old Hadley, who is en route to her father's wedding in London. When she meets a charming boy on her rescheduled flight — and promptly loses track of him on touchdown in England — the stage is set for a cinematic and utterly romantic adventure.

The Disenchantments
By Nina LaCour
(Dutton, $16.99; ages 14 and up)
Rock 'n' roll road trip! With Colby's post–high school plans in disarray, he agrees to drive his friend Bev's (truly bad) all-girl band on their West Coast tour. Life lessons about love, disappointment and opportunity come from unexpected sources in a story that's just the thing for soon-to-be grads.

The Fault in Our Stars
By John Green
(Dutton, $17.99; ages 14 and up)
Bestselling author Green's latest (and probably greatest) novel is the heartbreaking, funny and razor-sharp story of two teens in love. Both are battle-scarred from bouts with cancer — Augustus lost a leg, Hazel's lungs are in bad shape — and their tentative, star-crossed romance is not to be missed. Grab this one as soon as your teen finishes it.

Pink Smog
By Francesca Lia Block
(HarperTeen, $17.99; ages 14 and up)
This prequel to the groundbreaking series of books that began with Block's 1989 novel Weetzie Bat is the perfect opportunity to introduce a new generation to the author's singular vision of life in Los Angeles. Here, readers get a peek at protagonist Louise as a seventh-grader who is just beginning to recognize the magic of the world around her.