Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down
By John Green

From the author of A Fault in Our Stars, another heartbreaking story; this one about a teen with a mental health illness. But this book is both a romance and a mystery!
This review is from Publishers Weekly Annex:

Like many of Green's characters, Aza Holmes is whip smart, articulate, and tortured by worry. When she was eight, her father succumbed to a heart attack while mowing the lawn. Now 16, Aza takes meds (irregularly) to treat anxiety, which is manifesting in increasingly self-destructive ways. Her problems amplify when she reconnects with Davis, a boy she met years earlier at "Sad Camp," where both had gone to grieve their recently deceased parents. Now Davis's billionaire father is missing, running from a warrant for his arrest. Aza's best friend Daisy, in a classic sidekick role, pressures Aza to contact Davis, hoping they'll learn something about the disappearance-and maybe get a cut of the $100,000 reward. The reunion leads to romance, until Aza's anxiety won't allow it...

The Lie Tree

The Lie Tree
By Frances Hardinge

The Lie Tree is part historical fiction, part fantasy--a mysterious, intriguingly dark story.
Fourteen year-old Faith Sunderly pretends to be a good, quiet girl because that's what is expected of her in Victorian England. But inside she is a gifted natural scientist, determined to win her famous scientist father's attention.
When he is mysteriously murdered, Faith does some detective work on her own. She discovers a fantastic tree her father has been hiding--a tree that feeds off of lies whispered to it in the dark. In order to learn more, and perhaps unable to resist the power of this strange specimen, Faith begins to spread her own lies. However, this becomes more dangerous that she ever could have imagined... 

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Young Readers Edition

by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

What an inspiring story! What an impressive young man!
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the true story of how William Kamkwamba--a young teenager driven by curiosity--built his own wind turbine out of junk to generate electricity for his home in rural Malawi, a small country in Africa. Not only did he succeed with this challenging project (and several others), he overcame many obstacles: like being kicked out of school because his family couldn't afford to pay, and a severe famine in his country that left him and his entire village starving for many months.
And, by the way, this boy completely taught himself the science necessary to build a windmill, with books from a small library...and no access to the Internet.

Bomb

Bomb: The race to build--and steal--the world's most dangerous weapon
By Steve Sheinkin

Steve Sheinkin tells the gripping true tale of the construction of the first atomic bomb, dropped on Japan and ultimately ending WWII.
A story chock full of the world's "greatest scientists,  the most expert spies, hardened military commandos, and some of the most ruthless dictators who ever lived. The prize: military dominance over the entire world."
Read and find out what it took to build such a weapon, and why it is so important for countries to avoid using them now.

Jepp, who defied the stars

Jepp, Who Defied the Stars
By Katherine Marsh

What a fascinating story! I had never thought about what life would be like for someone with dwarfism at the turn of the 15th century, and now I can't stop thinking about it!

The author, Katherine Marsh, in part was inspired to write this novel after seeing old European paintings depicting "court dwarfs"; basically jesters, or clowns, forced to work for the amusement of royalty. Another inspiration was the history of eccentric astronomer and inventor Tycho Brahe. He lived in a castle off the coast of Denmark, and is famous for many things including wearing a brass nose (he lost his nose in a duel)!

In this remarkable story, a teenage boy--a dwarf--learns to trust himself more than the astrology chart that spells out his uncertain fate. With incredible determination, especially after enduring countless humiliations as a court dwarf, he finds love, community, education, and ultimately happiness on Tycho's island.

Trapped

Trapped: 
How the World 
Rescued 
33 Miners 
from 
2,000 Feet 
Below the 
Chilean Desert
by Marc Aronson

Here is a true story of the survival and incredible rescue of all 33 miners trapped underground for more than 60 days in a mine in northern Chile.
In 2010, the San José copper mine entrance was shut off when 700,000 tons of rock came crashing down, and the miners 2,000 feet below had no way to escape. Using teamwork, limited emergency supplies and huge amounts of hope, they waited and waited for the difficult rescue that finally came weeks later.
Many different people from all over the world contributed to the nearly-impossible rescue, using drills and technology from NASA to naval submarines. A thrilling read and powerful story of survival!

Every Soul a Star
By Wendy Mass

Since I just saw an annular solar eclipse over the weekend in northern California, I was particularly thrilled by this novel! It also recently won the California Young Reader Medal.
Told in alternating chapters by three 13-year-old characters--Ally, Bree, and Jack--this is the story of a total solar eclipse and the people brought together by this rare and powerful astronomical event.
The three teenagers are strangers whose lives intersect in an unusual way in the middle of the woods one summer, and each of them experiences changes which will shape them forever.

Smiles to Go

Smiles to Go
By Jerry Spinelli

9th grader Will Tuppence has a pretty nice life, if you don't count his annoying sister: he has two great friends, BT and Mi-Su, who play Monopoly and eat pizza with him every Saturday night, his own telescope (he wants to be an astronomer), and an awesome skateboard.
But a few unexpected events turn his world upside down--the death of the proton he heard about on the news, some surprising first kisses, and his 5-year-old sister's terrible skateboarding accident. Great story about 9th grade, friendship, family, and changes.

Laika

Laika
By Nick Abadzis

Illustrated by Hilary Sycamore

Even if you're not a dog lover, you will probably enjoy this bittersweet graphic novel.  It's based on the true story of the first animal to orbit the Earth--launched there by the Soviet Union in 1957 on Sputnik 2.  This little stray, named Kudryavka but known to the world as Laika the Soviet Space Dog, was also the first animal to die in orbit. 
Read the story of the scientists and caretakers of Kudryavka, and experience the tension between a competetive drive for scientific understanding and a respect for life...you might need some kleenex.  I did.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

 The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
By Jacqueline Kelly

Calpurnia Virginia Tate ("Callie Vee") is growing up with 6 brothers in a wealthy Texas family.  It's 1899, and there aren't too many options for ambitious, intelligent girls.  Callie wants to be a scientist, but her family expects her to learn to be a passive housewife...
This is a delightful story that will make you feel lucky to be born in the 20th (or 21st) century, especially if you are female!
(ISBN:  978-0-8050-8841-0)

Muse

Muse;  The Magazine of Life, the Universe, and Pie Throwing
by Carus Publishing Company, Cricket Magazine Group

Muse is a funny, engaging, 9-times-a-year non-virtual glossy paper magazine for kids 9-14 years old.  Focused on science, history and the arts,  it's divided into two main parts, Regular Stuff and New Stuff.  The Regular Stuff includes letters from readers, Q&A ("Is it true that when you see someone you love or hate, your eyes dilate?" Yes!) , art/writing contests and winners, and comics.  And my personal favorite, Bo's Page, where you read several short "factual" articles and try to figure out which one is false.  They have titles like "DNA Makes the Best Genes", "Marathon Migration", and "Technology of the Future (Batteries Not Included)", so this page is hilarious and truly difficult to figure out! 
The New Stuff part of the magazine is made up of mostly non-fiction stories about interesting things, like how sewer workers get their jobs done, and what whale vomit is like...Sound intriguing?!
There are several strange "muses" you'll run into while you're reading--they are tiny drawn cartoon characters who appear throughout the magazine and make witty comments in comic-like format about the articles. 
I particularly enjoyed reading the special Last Page in one recent issue of Muse;  it described in detail an Italian delicacy that is actually illegal to sell.  It's called casu marzu.  It's, um, cheese with maggots in it.  And people eat it.  With the maggots.  Seriously gross!!
Perhaps you are the kind of person who enjoys learning crazy, obscure facts about our world, different animals, and peoples' lives...perhaps you don't mind some disgusting details, for example how things like casu marzu are made...perhaps you would enjoy the fun, silly, and definitely interesting stories in Muse!  It claims to be a magazine for kids "who want to know everything."  There are several other magazines published by the same folks at Carus Publishing, too.  You can read about them at http://www.cricketmag.com/

Mega-Beasts

Encyclopedia Prehistorica;  Mega-Beasts
By Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart

This ultra-sophisticated pop-up book will really wow you, guaranteed.  Not only is it chock-full of incredible facts about prehistoric mega-beasts, but the illustrations literally jump out at you each time you turn the page. 
(ISBN: 978-0-7636-2230-5)

Spore

During spring break in Colorado my three nephews have been showing me some of their favorite games, including Spore, which we all agree is really amazing.  Rated 10+, it's a complex, visually incredible, multi-leveled game of evolution and adaptation.  The game starts with single-celled organisms and culminates with intergalactic space travel.  One of the most impressive aspects of Spore is the design element;  you get to design everything from creatures to vehicles to town halls to spaceships.  And there are hundreds of features and colors to choose from...every game can be different. 
There are five stages to progress through beginning with Cell and moving to Creature, Tribal, Civilization, and finally to Space.  At each stage there is an "economic" component;  you spend DNA to make your creature more evolved, for example, or look for food which enables you to help out your tribe.  Once the civilizations have evolved, there are Spice Geysers to seek out and mine, and Spore Bucks to spend and earn.

You learn as you play this game that you can change your mind about something, go back and adapt your creature or try a new strategy.  Things are flexible and always evolving, which is what makes the game challenging and fun.
One part of Spore that I find interesting is that a player can decide how they want to "behave" in any particular game.  The creature you design can be an herbivore, a carnivore, or an omnivore, and this determines the level of "violence" in a game.  Or, later on, you can decide if you will trade with other cities and planets, or try to destroy them.  There isn't an obvious advantage either way, though my nephew Miles told me if you go around destroying all the time "people won't like you very much."
Eventually there are the agressive Grox to deal with, creatures who live at the center of a galaxy and must be overcome to finally end the game.  However, my nephews have had Spore for almost a year and haven't come to that point yet.  There are so many cool creatures, structures, and space ships to design, this game never gets boring, or old, or even finished!

Your Skin Weighs More Than Your Brain

Your Skin Weighs More Than Your Brain and Other Freaky Facts About Your Skin, Skeleton, and Other Body Parts
By Barbara Seuling

A fun little book full of facts you probably never knew: "Your fingernails grow four times as fast as your toenails," and "The average human produces 1 quart of saliva every day...10,000 gallons in a lifetime."  Enough said.  It's fun.
(ISBN: 978-1-4048-3751-5)

More How Stuff Works

 More How Stuff Works
By Marshall Brain

This book is kind of wordy--kind of like a textbook--but it's so great!
The diagrams and pictures are interesting and detailed, and you can learn about everything from artificial hearts to screensavers, and everything in between.  Ever wondered about how snow makers make fake snow?  What's up with black holes?  How an espresso maker functions?  Nuclear bombs?  Webcams?  If so, this is the book for you.  Actually, I'd be willing to bet there's something for everybody in this one.

(ISBN: 0-7645-6711-x)

Icarus at the Edge of Time

Icarus at the Edge of Time
By Brian Greene

My husband is an astronomer, and he introduced me to this very cool story written by popular physicist Brian Greene.  It's a futuristic retelling of the Greek myth of Icarus, who defied his father's advice and flew off on wax wings toward the sun--too close to the sun, ultimately.  In this tale a boy sets off to examine a black hole in a small spaceship, leaving behind the giant mothership he calls home.  The ending is a surprising and thought-provoking one.  This short book was very popular with eighth grade students at my school this past fall.  The photos in Icarus are real images from NASA and the Hubble Space Telescope.
(ISBN: 978-0-307-26888-4)

Charles and Emma

Charles and Emma;  The Darwins' Leap of Faith
By Deborah Heiligman

There were several moments during this book that I thought perhaps adults would like it more than kids would.  I picked up Charles and Emma mostly because I'm interested in science.  I enjoyed learning about Charles Darwin's family life and the origins of his Theory of Evolution.  Much of the story is told in the language of the times--the 1800's--through letters written by Charles and his wife (and first cousin!) Emma.  The love story is wonderful.  It's incredible that Charles and Emma had such a strong relationship despite their religious differences.
(ISBN:  0-8050-8721-4)