Melissa Writes Fiction: Top Ten Tuesday

This week Amazon released it's list of the Best books so far. In the Teen section, there were only five books, so I'm going to give you the Amazon five, then recap the five favorite books I've read so far this year (my list will contain new and old releases).

Blogger's note - all summaries from goodreads.

Amazon's Best Teen Books so Far

The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) by Michael Scott
Josh and Sophie Newman are finally home, And they're both more confused than ever about their future. Neither of them has mastered the magics they'll need to protect themselves, they've lost Scatty, and they're still being pursued by Dr. John Dee. Most disturbing of all, however, is that now they must ask themselves, can they trust Nicholas Flamel?
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here. In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison -- a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device -- a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finn's escape is born
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.
The Boneshaker by Kate Milford
Thirteen year-old Natalie Minks loves machines, particularly automata—self operating mechanical devices, usually powered by clockwork. When Jake Limberleg and his traveling medicine show arrive in her small Missouri town with a mysterious vehicle under a tarp and an uncanny ability to make Natalie's half-built automaton move, she feels in her gut that something about this caravan of healers is a bit off. Her uneasiness leads her to investigate the intricate maze of the medicine show, where she discovers a horrible truth, and realizes that only she has the power to set things right.
Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk
Being a hefty, deaf newcomer almost makes Will Halpin the least popular guy at Coaler High. But when he befriends the only guy less popular than him, the dork-namic duo has the smarts and guts to figure out who knocked off the star quarterback.

Now that you've heard from Amazon, you'll hear from me. Of that list of 5 books, I've only read Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I liked that book a lot, there just happens to be five others that surpassed it.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
This is about Nobody Owens, who, due to some unfortunate circumstances, ends up being raised by the residents of a graveyard. As you can imagine, this can give rise to some sticky situations for "Bod" grows up and becomes curious about the world outside the graveyard's gates.
Slam by Nick Hornby
Slam's main theme is teenage pregnancy. While we often hear about this from the mother's perspective, this book is different in that it's told from the dad's perspective. Being an immature teenager who wasn't ready for such a responsibility is an interesting take. There are some very real emotions packed into this book. An engrossing read..
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
I read this after I started this little blog, so I'm not going to go into too much detail here because I already posted a review. This book was a fresh take on the old story of Little Red Riding Hood told from the varying points of view of two sisters Scarlett and Rosie. I really enjoyed how different the two sisters were even though they'd experienced the same traumatizing event.
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Another one of my recent reads, Hex Hall drops us into the world of Sophie, a witch who can't keep her growing powers under control. The best part of this book is the voice. Sophie is so snarky, and it's spot on throughout the whole book. I also love the way Rachel pokes fun at the similarity of Sophie's situation to another story where a wizard discovers his powers.
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
This book came out in 2010 and I can't believe it's not on Amazon's list. Jandy Nelson was robbed! Robbed, I tell ya! The story of how Lennie and her family overcome the grief of her older sister dying is amazing. It is told so beautifully and artfully, it makes me bow down in homage as a writer.

HONORABLE MENTION
Cracked up to Be by Courtney Summers
If you want a real, raw and unapologetic look at the inner workings of a high school turn to Courtney Summers. This novel, about a senior in high school who goes from straight A perfect to a complete failure is riveting. From the first page, I was wondering what it was that made Parker Fadley fall so fast. The slow reveal of what really happened makes the answer at the end of the book that much more worth it.