2015 Teen Nutmeg
Nominees
Prepared by: Mrs. Muñoz for Horace W. Porter School
and Mrs. Poulos – Silas Deane Middle School
** Summaries provided by Titlewave.com – Follett.com
Don't Turn Around (Thriller)
by Michelle Gagnon
Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the
system ever since her parents died. Now
living off the grid and trusting no one, she
uses her hacking skills to stay anonymous
and alone. But when she wakes up on a
table in a warehouse with an IV in her arm
and no memory of how she got there, Noa
starts to wish she had someone on her side.
Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of
a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with
Noa's talents on his team. Especially after a
shady corporation threatens his life in no
uncertain terms. But what Noa and Peter
don't realize is that Noa holds the key to a
terrible secret, and there are those who'd
stop at nothing to silence her for good.
The Eye of the Storm (mystery)
by Katte Messner
In the not-too-distant future, huge tornadoes and
monster storms have become a part of
everyday life. Sent to spend the summer in the
heart of storm country with her meteorological
engineer father, Jaden Meggs is surprised at
the strides her father's company StormSafe,
has made with custom shelters that keep her
family safe in even the worst of storms. At her
exclusive summer science camp, Eye On
Tomorrow, Jaden meets Alex, a boy whose
passion for science matches hers. Together,
they discover that her father's company is
steering storms away from the expensive
neighborhoods and toward the organic farming
communities that are in competition with his
bio-engineered food company, NatureMade.
Jaden must confront her father, but when she
does, she uncovers a terrifying family secret
and must call on both her scientific knowledge
and her faith to save the people she loves most
from one of her father's monster storms.
The Final Four (sports fiction)
by Paul Volponi
Four players with one thing in common: the will to
win. Malcolm wants to get to the NBA ASAP.
Roko wants to be the pride of his native
Croatia. Crispin wants the girl of his dreams.
M.J. just wants a chance.
March Madness is in full swing, and there are only
four teams left in the NCAA basketball
championship. The heavily favored Michigan
Spartans and the underdog Troy Trojans meet
in the first game in the semifinals, and it's there
that the fates of Malcolm, Roko, Crispin, and
M.J. intertwine. As the last moments tick down
on the game clock, you'll learn how each player
went from being a kid who loved to shoot
hoops to a powerful force in one of the most
important games of the year. Which team will
leave the Superdome victorious? In the end it
will come down to which players have the most
skill, the most drive, and the most heart.
Guitar Notes (realistic fiction)
by Mary Amato
On odd days, Tripp Broody uses a
school practice room to let loose on
a borrowed guitar. Eyes closed,
strumming that beat-up instrument,
Tripp escapes to a world where only
the music matters.
On even days, Lyla Marks uses the
same practice room. To Tripp, she's
trying to become even more perfect-she's already a straight-A student
and an award-winning cellist. But
when Lyla begins leaving notes for
him in between the strings of the
guitar, his life intersects with hers in
a way he never expected.
What starts as a series of snippy notes
quickly blossoms into the sharing of
interests and secrets and dreams,
and the forging of a very unlikely
friendship.
Insignia (science fiction)
by S.J. Kincaid
The earth is in the middle of WWIII in Insignia,
the first entry in S. J. Kincaid's fast-paced scifi adventure trilogy perfect for fans of Ender's
Game.
The planet's natural resources are almost gone,
and war is being fought to control the assets
of the solar system. The enemy is winning.
The salvation may be Tom Raines. Tom
doesn't seem like a hero. He's a short
fourteen-year-old with bad skin. But he has
the virtual-reality gaming skills that make him
a phenom behind the controls of the battle
drones.
As a new member of the Intrasolar Forces,
Tom's life completely changes. Suddenly,
he's someone important. He has new
opportunities, friends, and a shot at having a
girlfriend. But there's a price to pay. . . .
The Last Dragonslayer (fantasy)
by Jasper Fforde
"Fifteen-year-old
Jennifer Strange
runs an agency for
underemployed
magicians in a world
where magic is
fading away, but
when visions of the
death of the world's
last dragon begin, all
signs point to
Jennifer--and Big
Magic."
One for the Murphys
(realistic fiction)
by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
•
•
Carley uses humor and street smarts to
keep her emotional walls high and thick.
But the day she becomes a foster child,
and moves in with the Murphys, she's
blindsided. This loving, bustling family
shows Carley the stable family life she
never thought existed, and she feels like
an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect
household. Despite her resistance, the
Murphys eventually show her what it
feels like to belong--until her mother
wants her back and Carley has to decide
where and how to live. She's not really a
Murphy, but the gifts they've given her
have opened up a new future.
The Raft (survival)
by S.A. Bodeen
Robie is an experienced traveler. She's taken
the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll,
a group of Pacific islands where her
parents live, many times. When she has to
get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with
her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next
cargo flight at the last minute. She knows
the pilot, but on this flight, there's a new copilot named Max. All systems are go until a
storm hits during the flight. The only
passenger, Robie doesn't panic until the
engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts
at her to put on a life jacket. They are over
miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max
struggle with a raft.
And then . . . she's in the water. Fighting for her
life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that's
when the real terror begins. They have no
water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles.
There are sharks. There is an island. But
there's no sign of help on the way.
See You at Harry's
by Jo Knowles
Twelve-year-old Fern feels
invisible in her family,
where grumpy
eighteen-year-old
Sarah is working at the
family restaurant,
fourteen-year-old
Holden is struggling
with school bullies, and
adorable, three-yearold Charlie is always
the center of attention,
and when tragedy
strikes, the fragile bond
holding the family
together is stretched
almost to the breaking
point.