Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

This is  the second installment of the Testing Series.  Cia's brutal testing experience is now over and forgotten, due to the government issued memory wipe.  She moves on to the Commonwealth's elite University along with Tomas, the boys she loves.
Their bright futures are threaten by the past when violent nightmares force Cia to question reality and the true motives lurking behind the friendly faces of her classmates.
As Cia embarks on the forbidden course of study that could get her killed, Cia delves into the Commonwealth's darkest secrets.
What she learns changes everything.  Little does she know The Testing was just the beginning.

Courage Has No Color:  The True Story of the Triple Nickles
by Tanya Lee Stone

This fascinating book looks at the role of African Americans in the military through the lens of the untold story of the Triple Nickles as they become America's first black paratroopers and fought a little-known World War II attack on the American West by the Japanese. The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, in the words of First Sergeant Walter Morris, "proved that the color of a man had nothing to do with his ability."
-2014 Tayshas Reading List

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Juliet Moreau is now sixteen and has pieced here life back together after her father deserted the family and her mother passed away.  She has been trying to forget the scandal that ruined her life.  Rumors are still just rumors and it was never proven that her father, Dr. Moreau actually did the gruesome experiments that he is rumored to done.

Now through her father's handsome lab assistant,  she learns he is alive and is continuing his work on a remote island.  Juliet must get to the bottom of the the tales regarding the awful experiments.  To do this, she travels with Dr. Moreau's lab assistant to this remote island with the hope of proving that her father is not the dreadful man that he is accused of being.  When Juliet gets to the island, she finds out that everything her father was accused of is true.  He is doing experiments on animals so that they resemble, speak and behave as humans.  Juliet knows she must end her father's madness and get off the island for her own safety.  But, will she be too late for those who inhabit the island and for herself as well.

Texas Tayshas 2014 Reading List for high school

Out of the Easy by Rupa Sepetys

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.
Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

I received this as a pre-pub book and was not disappointed.  I was fascinated by the time period in NOLA and love this author.  This book has it all:  murder, gangsters, love, intriguing and believable characters.   It will not disappoint. 

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

Gabie drives a Mini Cooper.  She also delivers pizzas part-time.  One night, Kayla, another delivery girl at Pete's Pizza, goes out with an order and never comes back.  To Gabie's horror, she learned that the man who called in the fake pizza order had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working that night.  Was Kayla's fate really meant for Gabie?  Obsessed with finding Kayla, Gabie teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete's.  Together they set out to prove Kayla isn't dead, and to find her before she is.

Another fantastic thriller by April Henry.  Fast paced and intense read!

Don't miss out on the convenience of ebooks!

Download free eBooks and audiobooks now using your student ID number! Simply visit http://friscoisd.lib.overdrive.com or download the free OverDrive app.

The Raft by S.A. Bodeen

 Robie lives on a remote island just off the mainland of Hawaii, but far enough to make life uninteresting.  To socialize and get a taste of culture, Robie often goes there by supply plane to visit her aunt.  Her current visit is cut short when her aunt needs to suddenly leave town.  Robie begs to stay alone, and for once, her aunt agrees.  It's only for a week and even though Robie has never stayed alone overnight, she is has been responsible in the past.  Robie heads out one day from her aunt's apartment and has a freaky encounter with someone that leaves her totally shaken. This leads Robie to head back to the supply plane and home.  But she never makes it home, as the supply plane crashes in the ocean and only she and the co-pilot survive.  Her biggest challenges are yet to come.  No one knows where Robie is, and time is running out.
If you are a fan of survival books, you will love The Raft.  It is a quick read, with some predictable moments, but one that you won't put down until you find out what happens to Robie.