A courtroom drama by a well-known author and a drama ripped from the headlines are among some of the many exciting books now available for middle and young adult readers.
"THEODORE BOONE: KID LAWYER," by John Grisham, Dutton Children's Books, $16.99 (ages 9-12)
John Grisham is known for high-drama legal thrillers "The Firm," "The Client" and "The Rainmaker." He's sold millions of copies. Films have been made from his books, and his name is known the world over.
Few would expect Grisham to experiment outside his successful genre, but the author has — sort of. In Grisham's newest novel, "Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer," all the legal drama is still there, only Grisham's audience is a bit younger — ages 9-12.
Theodore Boone loves the law. His parents are both busy lawyers, and he hopes to be one, too.
But until that happens, the 13-year-old is content being an amateur attorney. After all, kids are always coming to him for help anyway.
Theo knows every judge, policeman and court clerk in town, and they all love him.
But when Theo's passion lands him unwittingly in the middle of a high-profile murder trial, the teenager realizes he may just need some help after all.
A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. But telling the truth could have far-reaching implications, and Theo must find a way to reconcile friendship with the legal system.
"Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer" is like a kids' primer on the American justice system. Grisham gives step-by-step explanations of how things work, and makes it accessible to even the most novice of readers.
The information is all well and good, but what makes Grisham's book a success is that all this new data are interspersed with an enjoyable story. Theo is a charming character, and his outgoing personality is sure to resonate with young readers.
From start to finish, "Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer" is an engrossing read that will be hard for young readers to put down. Grisham should gain a whole new set of fans with this book, and here's hoping a sequel is in the works.
"THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES," by Kristina McBride, Egmont, $16.99 (ages 14 and older)
The stories of Elizabeth Smart, Shawn Hornbeck and Jaycee Dugard captivated the world. They were children stolen from their families and then, years later, returned to them.
In "The Tension of Opposites," author Kristina McBride imagines the aftermath of one such kidnapping in a small town.
Noelle disappeared two years ago. All that was left behind was her bike. Most presume she's dead and have moved on with their lives.
But Tessa, Noelle's best friend who discovered her bike, hasn't moved on — at least not the way everyone else seems to have done. She's been living in suspended animation — waiting, hoping for her friend to reappear.
Everything changes, though, when someone calls Noelle's house. Noelle's alive, and there's a plan to get her home.
Written from Tessa's point of view, "The Tension of Opposites" lives up to its name. Everyone knows of the emotional aftermath facing a kidnapping victim, but here, McBride takes it deeper, focusing on those left behind.
Instead of giving all the details at once, McBride allows the story to unfold naturally, over time. She gives readers bits and pieces, allowing them to come to their own conclusions before adding a twist that shakes them to the core.
"The Tension of Opposites" is a smart and arresting debut. It's engrossing and fascinating, painful and hopeful. As one can imagine, there are some very mature subjects discussed here, and it is definitely not appropriate for younger readers. But McBride treats the subject matter with respect, hinting at things rather than going into detail. This is one novel definitely worth reading.
"BREAKAWAY," by Andrea Montalbano, Philomel, $16.99 (ages 9-12)
LJ is a star soccer player, but being a big-shot on the field has started going to her head. She's been letting her temper get the best of her, alienating everyone around her. Everyone, that is, except Tabitha, who spends most of her time on the bench. But when it's LJ on the bench instead of Tabitha, LJ learns that it takes skills to let others excel.
"THE OUTSIDE OF A HORSE," by Ginny Rorby, Dial, $16.99 (ages 12 and older)
Hannah Gale's father has just returned from the Iraq war with an amputated leg, and his mental state isn't the same, either. When her father's nightmares rock the household, Hannah turns to horses for comfort and quite possibly finds the answers to her father's problems.
"THE RISE OF RENEGADE X," by Chelsea Campbell, Egmont, $17.99 (ages 14 and older)
Damien Locke has a plan — become a professional evil genius, just like his supervillain mom. But when he discovers the shameful secret she's been hiding all these years, everything gets messed up. When Damien uncovers a dastardly plot to turn all the superheroes into mindless zombie slaves, a plan hatched by his own mom, he has to chose between a new family or his mom.
"STARLIGHTER," by Bryan Davis, Zondervan, $9.99 (young adult)
The worlds of humans and dragons collide when Jason Masters enters the dragon planet and meets Koren, a descendant of humans who were kidnapped and are now the dragons' slaves. Koren has a special gift, and along with Jason, she sets out to save the human slaves before the destruction of mankind.
"SPIRIT BOUND," by Richelle Mead, Razorbill $17.99 (young adult)
In this fifth installment of the Vampire Academy, Rose Hathaway returns to St. Vladimir's. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives to begin. But Dimitri is still out there, and he won't rest until Rose joins him.
"THE KINGS OF CLONMEL," by John Flanagan, Philomel, $17.99 (ages 10 and up)
In the eighth Ranger's Apprentice book, Will, Horace and Halt join forces again to fight a cult that's sprung up in neighboring Clonmel. Halt is all too familiar with this group, which has a less than charitable agenda. It's up to these three friends to rid the land of this dangerous enemy.
"MY BEST FRENEMY," by Julie Bowe, Dial, $16.99 (ages 9-11)
In this Friends for Keeps series book, Ida May is finally fitting in at school. But when Ida's frenemy brings in a game of truth or dare, Ida finds herself in the principal's office. Ida's scared into ratting out her friends and gets frozen out of the group. The only way she can fix things is to take a triple-dog dare, or is it?
"SHOOT-OUT," by Mike Lupica, Philomel Books/Walden Media, $10.99 (ages 8-12)
Part of the popular Comeback Kids series, "Shoot-out's" lead character is Jake, a star soccer player who ends up on the worst team. He's faced with two choices — learn to lose or stop playing.
e-mail: jharrison@desnews.com