The Twinkie Squad

Korman, G. (1992). The twinkie squad.  New York, NY: Scholastic.
  Douglas Fairchild is an eccentric.  His father is a US Ambassador and Doug is constantly trying to separate himself from his dad.  His behavior lands him in a special needs group known as the "Twinkie Squad".  After a misconstrued incident with a basketball Commando, one of the most most popular athletes in the school, is forced to join the squad.  Once Commando and Doug join together hilarious hijinks ensue.  They re-name the group "The Grand Knights" and put up fliers that eventually get the entire school sign up to join.  After a failed attempt to make a meal they hide garlic soaked squid in the ceiling of the Home Ec, causing such a stink that the school shuts down.  In the end it is revealed who The Grand Knights are but by then the whole school has joined.  Doug and Commando resign from The Twinkie Squad leaving all those who made fun of them labeled as part of the "special" group.
 The twinkie squad was hilarious.  When the school attempts to hunt down the smell from the squid I laughed with each new professional.  Beyond a good laugh, The twinkie squad offers adolescent characters and situations all teens can relate to.  Commando is blamed for something he didn't do, the other members of the squad aren't special- just extremely shy, and Doug makes up all of his problems in an effort to separate himself from his famous father.  This book is recommended for grades 4-8.

Love in theTime of Global Warming

Block, F.L. (2013). Love in the time of global warming. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company. 
  Penelope, "Pen", has a normal life.  She has friends, a loyal dog named Argo, and likes to pick on her younger brother.  All of the changes when an earthquake followed by a tsunami all but wipe Los Angeles off the map.  Separated from her family and dog Pen begins the journey to find the.  She soon finds other survivors and they join together, following orange butterflies in an attempt to escape Los Angeles but the way is rife with danger as there are huge evil flesh eating giants roaming the land.  When Pen begins to have strange visions she finally discovers abilities she never knew she possessed and is reunited with those she loves.
  Love in the time of global warming is an obvious companion to a study of The Odyssey.  Students will revel in the plot similarities and Block's clever use of names and characters.  Argo as Pen's dog, an Earth Shaker causing the hole in the ozone layer, and the flesh eating giants that are reminiscent of the sheep from The Odyssey.  Love in the time of global warming is recommended for grades 9 and up.

Thirsty

Anderson, M.T. (2005). Thirsty. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.
  Vampires are killed upon sight in the town of Bradley, Massachusetts, which is unfortunate because Chris has just become one.  Unsure of what to do Chris meets Chet, seemingly an angel, who says that he can cure Chris if he will help Chet trap a vampire lord, Tch'muchgar, in a form of inescapable prison.  Chris agrees and through many trials and tribulations succeeds in ensnaring the vampire lord only to discover that Chet was actually working for him and that Tch'muchgar wanted death.  Just before he leaves Chet points out that Chris is now eternally out of luck: if he turns to other vampires they will blame him for Tch'muchgar's death and kill him, if the humans discover teh truth they'll kill him, and if he doesn't feed on human flesh he'll die.  The novel ends without any real revolution and only these words- "Oh God, I am so thirsty."
  Thirsty is not just your average vampire novel.  There is of course examples of people and animals being bit for their blood.  And there is even a glimmer of that famous vampire lust.  But more than that Thirsty is a coming of age tale. Just as any adolescent will face, Chris is given the dilemma of telling his family something unpleasant and dealing with their reactions. At some point in time everyone is faced with a situation of doing what is best for them or best for others- albeit, most people won't have to decide between killing someone or starving them self to death.

The Sledding Hill

Crutcher, C. (2006). The sledding hill. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
  Within a month Eddie has found the dead bodies of both his father and his best friend Billy.  The shock of which has silenced him from all speech.  Seemingly lost and unsure of what to do Eddie is in contact with Billy's spirit (who also serves as the novel's narrator).  Eventually Eddie finds Warren Peece by Chris Crutcher and it genuinely begins to help Eddie.  Then Reverend Tarter, who is also the high school English teacher, begins a witch hunt to have the book banned.  When Eddie breaks his silence to defend the book he begins to let the living back in.  Even though he doesn't win the battle of Warren Peece and the book is banned from the school, Eddie takes solace in the fact that he did everything he could and his life takes a turn for the better. 
  I found the placement of Chris Crutcher in his own novel to be highly unusual (and maybe a bit self-promoting).  However, I do think this novel would be a great addition to a high school level lesson over censorship in literature.  I would especially like to see how the students could handle being silent until they were ready to defend this novel.

Angleberger, T. (2010). The strange case of Origami Yoda. New York, NY: Amulet Books.
  Long ago, in a middle school far far away lived a boy named Dwight.  Dwight is a bit of an odd ball who has a way with origami.  It is here that Origami Yoda is born!  True Yoda is merely a paper puppet made by Dwight but soon his friends and classmates begin to realize Yoda may possess special abilities after all.  Yoda is suddenly able to predict pop quizzes, help people avoid embarrassing water spots, etc.  When it appears Yoda and Dwight might actually be using "The Force" a fellow sixth grader named Tommy begins a case file filled with entries and illustrations from his classmates.  Combined Yoda and the case file might actually be able to provide the answer to the real question: Does Sara or does she not like Tommy?   
Thank you Tom Angleberger!  I love Star Wars and I adore this story about Dwight and his puppet Yoda.  Not to mention the bonus of having picture instructions on how to make my very own Origami Yoda!  While I am not very skilled at paper folding I am sure others (most likely much younger than me) will be more successful making their own paper guru.  Changing from one person's point of view to another kept this story fresh and moving forward.  The sketches from Dwight's classmates were humorous and often made me laugh out loud.  I will be, and I highly recommend other readers, to check out the other books in this collection not to mention Art2-D2's guide to folding and doodling: An Origami Yoda activity book.
 

Shiver

Stiefvater, M. (2009). Shiver. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
  Grace remembers being bit by a wolf, but she remembers it as pleasant like being licked by a dog.  Since then she has always felt a connection to a werewolf named Sam.  Even before she knew he could be human.  Not all werewolves are like Sam.  Jack is vicious as a human and even more so as a wolf.   As their love grows Grace tries to find a cure before Sam becomes a wolf forever.  Jack's sister Isabel is also looking for a cure.  When the two werewolves try a possible cure Jack is killed and Sam runs away possibly forever.  After many nights with no sign of Sam, Grace is at the bird feeder when he appears as a human and they embrace.   While falling under the fantasy genre, Shiver offers the reader universal themes such as good versus evil in the characters of Sam and Jack, true love in Grace and Sam's relationship, and of course love conquers all.  Readers will of course have to suspend reality when dealing with the werewolf aspect of the story but will be able to relate to the characters due to those themes.  Shiver is recommended for readers age 13 and up.

Printz- The Scorpio Races

Stiefvater, M. (2011). The Scorpio Races. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
  On the island of Thisby there is a special race known every year known as The Scorpio Race during which men ride the flesh eating water horses known as the capaill uisce.  Sean Kendrick is a natural with the beasts and a sure win which will secure him his very own water horse- Corr.  Puck is the first ever female to enter the races and if she wins her family will have a place to live, if not they'll be out in the cold.  To make things worse Sean and Puck begin to have feelings for one another but only one can win.  When Sean sacrifices his chances Puck arises victorious and even finds a way to save Sean's beloved Corr in the process.  Puck is not your typical girl and actually goes against the stereotypical female characters in a YA book that includes a romance.  She is fiery and spontaneous.  Puck goes against and frequently doesn't even exemplify the "girly inclinations" so many other ingenues exhibit.  The universal themes of The Scorpio Races include bravery, determination, and hard-work and are something more adolescent readers need to be exposed to.  This novel does include mild scenes of violence and some salty language that might not be appropriate for readers under the age of 12.   The Scorpio Races was named a Printz Honor book in 2012.