Skinhead Birdy (Gravel Road)

Expelled from high school number one, Tyler Ruiz is attending his second. Not a great record for a sophomore with anger issues. Then he meets Sara Allen. Tyler's a good-looking guy, so he figures Sara's an easy hookup. But she isn't. She's complicated. And uninterested. Which makes Tyler want her even more. As he learns about Sara's punk rock world, Tyler's protective outer layers peel away. And he falls hard--for a girl who is mentally unstable and achingly vulnerable.

Hard-hitting, contemporary young adult fiction is not trendy--it's not dystopia. There are no vampires, no werewolves, no castles. It's real life. It's unflinching. Gravel Road highlights the talent of YA authors committed to creating realistic fiction with emotional authenticity. No topic is off-limits: suicide, homosexuality, drugs, rape, gangs, bullying. Teens live with this reality each day. And they find a way to survive. Each paperback book is 200 to 275 pages.