Summer Chills book list - Chicago Public Library

For Teens

Summer Chills

Get summer chills with these thrilling, suspenseful, and mysterious teen novels recommended by members of the Chicago Public Library’s Teen Advisory Council and librarians who serve on the Teen Literacy Committee, a steering committee for the Teen Volume Project.

Quicklinks: Recommended Books | Other Suggested Titles

Recommended Books

Anya’s Ghost
By Vera Brosgol
Recommended by Araceli, Teen Advisory Council
This graphic novel is sure to give you chills this summer. Anya has enough problems being a teen girl in high school and it doesn't help when a ghost starts following her after she falls into a ditch. At first Emily, the ghost, seems helpful, especially during testing time, but after a while Anya's ghost won't leave her alone. How can Anya prevent Emily from taking over her life?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
By Laini Taylor
Recommended by Katie, Teen Volume Project Assistant
In Prague, Karou is a blue-haired art student with a surprising job—she collects teeth (human and otherwise) for Brimstone, the Chimera, who raised her. Karou loves being able to travel from the human world to the world of the Chimera, and she never questions her “family” until she meets (and fights with) a mysteriously familiar Seraph. As he helps her uncover the mystery of her past, she begins to learn some truths that will change her life forever.
Audiobook

The Forest of Hands and Teeth
By Carrie Ryan
Recommended by Angela, Teen Advisory Council
Mary lives in a town ruled by the Sisterhood. Their village is protected by fences that keep out the terrifying “unconsecrated” who roam the forest. Despite the protection of the Sisterhood and the fences, Mary feels restless. Should she try to escape her town through the gates that open onto paths enclosed by fencing, keeping out those who've been infected? Would you rather be locked up or turned into a zombie?
Audiobook | eAudio | eBook

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
By Lish McBride
Recommended by Viktor, Teen Advisory Council
This modern twist to a dark and frightening tale of beasts and the supernatural is not only hilarious, but breaks from the “traditional” fantasy tale. It will change the way you think about what may be hiding in the shadows. As a bonus it is also riddled with fantastic lines and titles from some of the best songs (from 20+ years ago). This one goes out for all you oldies lovers/contemporary fantasy fans!

My Boyfriend is a Monster #1: I Love Him to Pieces
By Evonne Tsang, illustrated by Janina Görrissen
Recommended by Jeremy, Teen Literacy Committee
Opposites attract when “girly jock” Dicey Bell and “brainy, science nerd” Jack Chen are paired up on a school project, but can their budding romance survive what may be the zombie apocalypse? Other titles in the series include: I Date Dead People, Made for Each Other, My Boyfriend Bites and Under His Spell.

The Replacement
By Brenna Yovanoff
Recommended by Viktor, Teen Advisory Council
This tempting tale takes is a twist on the classic “the _____(insert title of evil being here) stole my baby and replaced it with a fake which is actually a monster!” stories you hear in some horror movies. Instead of taking sides with the victim, we see the point of view of the replacement and his struggles to find his place in our world and to find what was taken into the cold, dark, and empty places from whence he came.
eBook

The Name of the Star
By Maureen Johnson
Recommended by Victoria, Teen Advisory Council
Suspicious things start happening when country girl Rory Deveaux arrives at her new boarding school in London, England. After having a near-death experience within a week of attending her new school, Rory starts seeing people no one else can see. And, something is lurking around London, impersonating Jack the Ripper, with replicas of his murders for not only the police but for the rest of the city to ponder.
eBook

Unwind
By Neal Shusterman
Recommended by Sam, Teen Advisory Council
In a dystopian future, the U.S. has made it through another civil war, this time between pro-life and pro-choice armies. The two sides have agreed to a truce where parents can not have their children aborted, but instead have two options: “Unwind” the child, removing all organs and blood to be transplanted into people in need; or, “Storking,” depositing the child on someone else’s doorstep to be raised. Can three AWOL “Unwinds” survive in this cold, harsh world?
Audiobook | eAudio

Wither
By Lauren DeStefano
Recommended by Jia Jia, Teen Advisory Council
In a not-too-distant future, scientists will create a medicine that can cure disease, but they will not foresee the consequences on the following generations. Now all females die when they turn 20 years old and males live only to 25. Rhine is trying to escape her fate as her 20th birthday approaches.
Audiobook

You Killed Wesley Payne
By Sean Beaudoin
Recommended by Viktor, Teen Advisory Council
This far-fetched plot brings the fifties, sixties, and eighties back, with a satirical twist. It’s like putting the (ITL)Grease / (ITL)Clueless / (ITL)Breakfast Club cliques together and having it narrated by Stephen Colbert—with a killing at the heart of it. The school is a corrupt city murder mystery movie with Dalton Rev as the P.I. trying to figure it all out.