PANIC by Lauren Oliver

It’s a town where not much happens, where few people have jobs and even fewer people have the ability to get out of Carp. Boredom, drugs and drinking rule not just the adult world, but the adolescent world as well. That was what started it, the boredom and wanting to get out of the town, that is was fueled Panic. Panic was simple, in theory at least. Everyday for the entirety of everyone's senior year they had to give a dollar, and then whoever won Panic would get the money, usually around 50,000 dollars. That was more that enough to get out of Carp and never look back. The day after graduation, any graduating senior who wished to declare their entrance into the games would go to the top of the cliffs near the lake and jump. That, would be the easiest part of Panic. From there, every activity would get harder and harder, scarier and scarier. Every year, people died and ended up in the hospital, but the hope and possibilities that the money of winning Panic offered was more than enough to entice even the most chicken of 18 year olds to try. This year, the stakes were higher, and the money pot was greater with nearly 67,000 dollars going to this years winner. Heather had no real interest in the game, she thought it was stupid, but after her two best friends announce that they are getting out of Carp, heading to college and the possibility of a modeling career ahead of them, not to mention her boyfriend cheating on her in front of the entire Panic party kickoff, Heather jumps of the cliffs without thinking, hoping to escape her mundane future of waitressing in Carp. But things in the game of Panic are never as they seem. Her best friends start to lie and betray her in order to get ahead, the strange and mysterious Dodge is suddenly hanging around and "helping" when things get crazy, and someone is squealing to the cops about the game. People are being arrested, thrown in jail, hospitalized, and after one crazy and terrifying event... dead. Heather knows she should just withdraw, but her anger is fueling her more than she ever could have imagined, and she’s starting to think she just might win it, if she doesn’t end up dead. ''

Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews

I personally think the Flowers in the Attic gets a bad rap. Whenever I have mentioned I've read it, or how I am excited about the new movie lifetime is making, I get odd looks and snarls, comments of how all that book is about is brother/sister incest. Well I have news people, it's not. Yes, there is a moment with Christopher and Cathy but it is horrible for both of them. I read this book the first time when I was a sophomore in high school and went on a year long bender on all things VC Andrews. This series is still my favorite though.

After the death of their father, Cathy’s mother takes her four kids to their grandparents house. Grandparents who haven’t spoken to their daughter Corrine since she ran away with her husband, they don’t even know about their four grandchildren. When they show up, their grandmother locks them in the attic.

There mother comes to visit them, telling them that she just needs to make up with her father first, then they can all live in luxury. After all, her parents are loaded. She promises it will only be for a few days. And what is a few days when a huge fortune is at stake?

But a few days turns into weeks, into months, and now its been years the four children have been locked in the attic. Cathy and Christopher aren’t children any more, but teens with needs and desires they don’t understand. The two young twins have only grown an inch in over two years, their limbs are weak and their heads are unproportionate. Their mother’s visits have become fewer and far between. It seems almost as if she no longer loves them, that she’s moving on with her rich life.

Then little Cory dies, and their mother shows almost no remorse over the death of her youngest, who had doesn’t the last two years trapped in a small space. Something is very wrong, Cathy and Christopher know that they need to do something to get out and save Carrie before she to dies. But things below their attack are not as they appear, and Cathy is on the brink of discovering something terrible.

Full Ride by Margaret Peterson Haddix

When Becca was in eighth grade her father was arrested for running one of the biggest internet and identity theft scams in the country. The life Becca had known was turned upside down. It wasn’t just the loss of money and absence of her father, but death threats and gossip made it so that Becca and her mom had to hide.

Hundreds of miles, and your years later Becca thinks that maybe she can escape high school without anyone knowing her family’s secret. She spent her high school years away from football games and the popular crowd, any place where a photo of her could end up online and lead people still angry with her father right to her.

But this is Becca’s senior year and college application, interviews, financial aid and scholarships all need her information and her mom doesn’t want her to give it out. Turns out Becca’s mom has been ruining from more than just gossip, but a dangerous plot that could put all their lives in danger. How far is Becca willing to delve into her father’s past in order to get what she wants, and how much danger is she willing to put what remains of her family in?

I thought the book was good. A solid four out of five stars. It follows a similar pattern to Margaret Peterson Haddix’s other novels. She always has a slight twist at the end that always keeps me on my toes and excited. It is a great middle school novel, but can be enjoyed by older audiences.