Rick Riordan. THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH

Yay! I finally got to read this one!
The latest installment of Percy Jackson and the Olympians may be the best yet, in my opinion. The story begins with Percy getting in trouble at another new school. And it’s not even the beginning of the school year yet! But he attends the new school’s orientation and has a major run-in involving some demon cheerleaders and fire. Then when he gets back to Camp Half-Blood, he learns that the camp is soon to be under direct attack. The battle between the Olympians and the leader of the Titans, Kronos, is drawing near. Somehow Kronos is getting stronger and will soon begin his attempt to take over the world. Percy and his demigod friends must find a way to stop the Kronos army from getting into the camp through the ancient labyrinth. Percy feels the pressure of saving the world on his shoulders, once again.
I’ve really enjoyed the way this series gets bigger and better with each installment. There are more characters and more engrossing storylines than ever before, plus the same great action and humor we’ve enjoyed in all the books. Definitely a must read!

By the way, the author has a great website here.
And a cool blog here. (he's from Texas, always a plus in my book, as you know)

Tim Tharp. KNIGHTS OF THE HILL COUNTRY

The Kennisaw Knights in the hill country of Oklahoma are on their way to a fifth undefeated season of football. Football and the football legends of the past are about the most important things in this small Oklahoma town. Since Hampton Green is the star linebacker, he feels the pressure of finishing the season on a high note. But things are changing during his senior year. He becomes friends with a girl that makes him begin to realize that there might be more important things in life than football. When Hampton begins to question the ways things have always gone, he encounters resistance from his best friend and other players on the team. Will he be able to begin thinking for himself?
I really enjoyed the way the author created the setting and mood of this small town. You could feel it in the characterization, particularly with the dialect. He was most certainly familiar with the way people speak in small town Oklahoma (and some places in Texas) otherwise, he couldn’t have pulled it off so well. There were times when I felt like I was listening to some of my relatives talk. He really brought this small town to life.
Bottom line: if you like football, you’ll love this one!

Siobhan Vivian. A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE

Ruby gets an unexpected birthday present on her 16^th birthday. Her dad shows up. Since he left them about 5 years ago, it’s a bit of a shock. In fact, she yells at him and leaves. She’d rather hang out with her four friends, as if nothing has happened. But the following week brings many surprises and secrets. Through the emotional highs & lows, Ruby realized that she must deal with her past or she’ll never move on, no matter how much it hurts. This was a great novel about friendship, forgiveness, and learning from life’s dramas.

Check out the great interview that TeenReads did with the author here.