8 New Novels for Teens and Tweens

If you like young adult and middle grade fiction, then you're going to love October. I have a number of good books on my radar, some of which have already been generating critical praise and high anticipation (for example, Maggie Stiefvater's All the Crooked Saints and Nic Stone's Dear Martin). The 8 books I feature here may have escaped your notice, but I recommend adding them to your fall reading list.

• The Breathless by Tara Goedjen (Delacorte, Oct. 10): This Southern Gothic debut is set in two time periods and involves a missing girl and family secrets. Reviewers note the elements of dark magic and the story's skin-crawling creep factor. Perfect for Halloween reading. (young adult)
• Calling My Name by Liara Tamani (Greenwillow, Oct. 24): Part coming-of-age story, part social commentary, this novel follows Taja, the middle child of a conservative African American family, as she navigates high school while balancing her family's wishes against new opportunities and friendships. Reviewers have loved this debut set in Houston, Texas. (young adult)
• Nevermoor: The Trials Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Little, Brown, Oct. 31): From birth, Morrigan was cursed to die on her 11th birthday, but before she meets her doom, she is spirited off to a magical world, where she's invited to attend a special academy and can stay to live a long life . . . if she manages to pass a series of initiation tests. This exciting first in a new fantasy series has earned several starred reviews. (middle grade)
• The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea (Delacorte, Oct. 3): The students in Mrs. Wood's sixth grade class are in a tizzy, not only do they have to work hard to please their parents, coaches, and tutors but the mandated standardized tests are coming up. Can students and teachers pull together to get through this stressful year? Another winner from the author of the Mr. Terupt books. (middle grade)

• Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin (Random House, Oct. 10): Based on the classic Grimm's fairy tale about Snow White and Red Rose, this reworked story focuses on the sisters' relationship and the creatures and magic that inhabit the woods surrounding their hidden cottage, where they live with their mother. The book is beautifully illustrated with the author's paintings. (middle grade)
• Strange Lies by Maggie Thrash (Simon Pulse, Oct. 17): Set in a boarding school, this mystery / thriller focuses on three teens who are intent on investigating a science fair accident (or was it?) that disfigured a fellow student. Broader social issues (including the racial divide) and dark humor round out the novel. (young adult)
• The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Dial, Oct. 3): Ada, recovering from an operation that corrected her congenital clubfoot, is sent to live with her aunt in the English countryside to escape the Blitz. There, Ada deals with her losses, finds new beginnings, and discovers her inner strength. Issues of disabilities, mental abuse, prejudice, and death underlie this beautifully written coming-of-age story that will have wide appeal. Although the second Ada novel, this much-praised book can be read as a standalone.
• We All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards (Sourcebooks Fire, Oct. 3): This spooky paranormal thriller is about two troubled teens, each with mental health issues, who together must overcome the demons of a haunted bridge and their own fears to find peace and perhaps romance. Read this one with the lights on. (young adult)