Darkside by Tom Becker

Since our book clubs seem to currently be overwhelmingly female in membership, I vowed to read more books checked out by male students (in my undying efforts to be of more interest to them)!  The first one tackled this summer was Darkside.   It didn't disappoint.  Jonathan Sterling ends up running for his life after a home invasion, somehow linked to his father's growing insanity.  He finds himself in a gothic horror of a place called Darkside--a magical section of London complete with vampires, werewolves, and starving barracudas.  Helped by a growly friend of his father's (part detective, part wereman) called Carnegie--Jonathan survives an action-packed mix of supernatural evil, kidnappings, fights to the death, and the mystery of his father's madness.  It all makes for frightening suspense and a sequel, Lifeblood.

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

This book opens as Rosalinda Fitzroy wakes up from over 60 years in suspended animation.  What wakes her?  A kiss, of course.  But this sleeping beauty is not in a fairy tale; the setting is futuristic--complete with her inheriting a galactic empire and an assassin robot programmed to kill her.  A lot has happened while she was sleeping.  Who would want to kill her?  It makes for a page-turning read.  There's also romance, betrayal, and suspense as Rosalinda makes her way in a new world.  Even if science fiction is not a favorite, you might like this one.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Two fantastic stories weave themselves into one.  Finn tells the tale from inside Incarceron—an experimental prison which was intended to provide a perfect place in which to seal “undesirables.”  Unfortunately for those inside, the experiment has failed and conditions have deteriorated for generations. Finn finds a key to the outside and plots escape.  Claudia (who happens to be the warden’s daughter) tells her story from the outside where civilizations is artificially kept to the conventions of the 17^th-century.  She also plots to escape—from the archaic rules and arranged marriage intended for her.  A beloved tutor, Jared, joins her efforts to uncover the treacherous secrets of her father.  With a key matching Finn’s, she finds a way to communicate with him and help him realize his plans to discover the truth.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is the first book of a now-famous trilogy drawing all sorts of attention from young adult readers.
The plot: In a near-future, the United States has been brought to collapse by war and famine. In its place, a country called Panem has united what is left into twelve districts--plus an all-powerful "Capitol." To keep the districts under control, the ruling faction televises yearly Hunger Games where two representatives from each district are thrown into brutal competition. The rest of the oppressed population is expected to watch on televised programming. When the other 23 contestants are dead, the winner returns to the home district bringing wealth and honor.
When her young sister is chosen as a contestant, Katniss volunteers in her place. Thus begins a violent story--full of twists, turns, and fascinating characters.

Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

Okay, I kept reading about how Anthony Horowitz is on all the "Favorite Author of YA Guys" lists, so I gave one a try. I'm glad I did...plus now I don't miss Harry Potter quite so much. It's a great story of a kid with powers he doesn't understand who ends up fighting to survive really really evil stuff. Now I understand why the library's Horowitz shelf's always empty.