The Secret Journeys of Jack London, Book One: The Wild by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon

Looking for a book to intrigue the teen reader who loves adventure? This book will captivate those who also love the books by Jack London. Using Jack London as the main character in this new series, the authors have created a modern tale with the classic feel.
The world knows Jack London as a writer who lived his own thrilling, real-life adventures--terrifying, mysterious, bizarre, and magical-- these are the Secret Journeys of Jack London. We meet Jack at age seventeen, following thousands of men and women into the Yukon Territory in search of gold. For Jack, the journey holds the promise of another kind of fortune: challenge and adventure. But what he finds in the wild north is something far more sinister than he could have ever imagined: kidnapping and slavery, mythical beasts and evil men. This book is a total page-turner with action, gore and suspense at every turn.

After the Snow by S.D. Crockett

 A futuristic novel about the kind of life that might await us if winter never ends, but more than that, it’s a book about a teenager discovering the world and his place in it. While Willo’s father fears he’s been hardened by the harsh realities of his childhood, Willo is actually full of innocence, shown in his pure desire to help a girl he finds along his path. He’s tough when battling the elements or any other cruelties nature throws at him, but having been raised by kind people, he is completely unprepared for the cruelty of men. Willo comes off the mountain after his family is taken to go to the city in search of them. He sees the reality of what his father has kept from him and survives in spite of it. Set in a sparse, cold landscape, with hardships befalling its protagonist at every turn, the novel is surprisingly hopeful and sure to keep one engrossed to the final page. I was a little thrown off by the form of language used, but you soon get used to it and see that it also is harsh just like the environment.

Wonder by R.J. Polacio

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to school--he's been homeschooled--until now. His parents make the decision that it's time he faced the world. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep and if you've ever been the new kid, then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. He wants to be a regular kid, making friends and doing ordinary things. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite his appearance? This story has you laughing one minute and crying the next and it's hard to believe that it is uplifting and heart-warming and should be read by all kids.