A Year Without Autumn

by Liz Kessler

Jenni and Autumn are the best of friends, and their moms are best friends, too. Their families even vacation together, and they each own a timeshare where they meet every year. A few days into their vacation, Autumn asks Jenni to go horseback riding, but on the way Jenni decides to take the old-fashioned elevator instead of the new one. She goes up a floor, but when she gets to Autumn's condo, it's not Autumn. An old lady answers the door, and has no idea who Autumn is. Jenni soon realizes that she's gone forward in time a year, and that during that time, something horrible has happened to Autumn's brother. Is Jenni stuck in the future, or can she get back in time and change things for her best friend's family?

The first page of this book had me hooked instantly, and I can't really explain why. I think because Jenni's voice immediately drew me in. I couldn't wait to find out what horrible thing happened to Autumn's brother, and once that was revealed, I had to find out if Jenni would be able to save the day.

Ruby Red

by Kerstin Gier

Gwyneth comes from a long line of time travelers, but as far as she knows, she's not one of them. Her cousin Charlotte has been prepared her whole life for the dizzy feeling that comes sometime around your 16th birthday, and means you're about to travel. But it turns out it isn't Charlotte who has the gene after all, and Gwyneth finds herself bouncing back and forth through time with no preparation. Her training must start immediately, which terrifies her, infuriates Charlotte, and concerns Gideon, the handsome young man from another time-traveling family who will accompany her on her journeys. She soon finds that time traveling isn't all fun and games, either. A chronograph, a machine vital to their experience, has been stolen. It requires a speck of blood from other time-travelers across the centuries, and Gwyneth and Gideon are tasked with getting that blood. It won't be easy, and Gwyneth's not entirely sure it's the right thing to do. 

A budding romance, a little mystery, and lots of adventure make this first in the series a must read! 

The Future of Us

by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Emma and Josh are in high school in 1996, in a world where the Internet could only be accessed after downloading the America Online CD, and it was hooked up to your landline. That's right. No one in your house could talk on the phone if you were online. But I digress...

These two WERE best friends, but when Josh tried to kiss Emma a few months ago, it ruined everything. Now they barely speak. Until Josh drops off the AOL CD for Emma's family to borrow. When they download it, something strange appears on their screen. Facebook. It's 1996. They've never heard of this. Because it hasn't been invented. Even weirder? The pages they find are their own--15 years in the future. Emma finds that her future self is married to a lazy bum, and she doesn't seem happy at all, but Josh ends up married to the hottest girl in school, who currently doesn't know he's alive. Will knowing these things about their future selves change their future? And how much stock should you really put in a status update, anyway?

I finished this book in about three hours flat. It's a fast, easy read that's really entertaining. The characters are only a few years younger than me, so it reminded me of what it was like when I was in high school. It was easy to relate to Emma. This book, while mostly just fun, does make you think. Why do we post all this stuff online for the world to see, and more importantly, how does what we write influence what others think about us?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs

For as long as he can remember, Jacob's grandfather has told him stories of the Welsh home he lived in as a child, populated with "peculiar" children. Children who can do strange and wonderful things. Hover off the ground, hold light in their hands, become invisible, make plants grow before your eyes. He never believed these tales, until his grandfather is murdered in his own back yard, and Jacob thinks he sees the monster who did it. His parents assume he's had a mental break down, and send him to therapy. When the therapist agrees it might be good for him to go to Wales and find the home where his grandfather lived, Jacob and his father set out for the Welsh countryside. The house is there, but not in the way you would think. And the children? They're real, too. There's adventure, danger, mystery, and romance all woven into this well-written book. One of the best stories I've read all year.