By Scott Westerfield

Tally wants nothing more in life than to turn 16 and have the operation that will turn her from an Ugly to a Pretty.  Then she can move to New Pretty Town and have the time of her life.  Then she meets Shay, who doesn’t want to have the operation.  They find out the operation changes more than just a person’s looks.

If I talk about Pretties and Specials, it will give away the ending, so all I’m going to say is that you should read all three books, preferably in a row!

The target audience for these books is slightly older than tweens, but my 10-year-old literary advisor read them and loved them, especially the science fiction details.

by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Nothing happens in the town of Manod.  In fact, it’s so boring, the town newspaper only comes out once a month.  Dylan Hughes keeps the log book for his family’s petrol (gas) business, the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel, but things are about to change for him and his family.  Mysterious white vans have begun passing the Oasis on their way to the abandoned slate quarry on the mountain, and Dylan wants to know what’s going on.

This book could be a bit challenging to American readers because of British terminology and some Welsh words, but it’s totally worth it.

A hint: if you liked Chasing Vermeer, you might like this one.