Tweens and teens books range from etherial to harsh reality

From life beyond the grave to savvy powers, there's a plethora of exciting new books for middle and young adult readers covering every possible topic. Below are just a few that have crossed our desks recently.

"RADIANCE," by Alyson Noel, Square Fish, $7.99 (ages 9-12) www.amazon.com

Riley has crossed the bridge into the afterlife — a place called Here, where time is always Now. It took her a while to get to Here, she wanted to follow her sister back to the Earth plane, but it was too late once she made up her mind.

After arriving at Here, Riley picks up life where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice house in a nice neighborhood.

It isn't until she's summoned before The Council, that Riley learns that the afterlife isn't just an eternity of leisure. She's been assigned a job, Soul Catcher. Along with her teacher, Bodhi, Riley returns to Earth for her first assignment, a Radiant Boy who's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of that was before he met Riley.

"SCUMBLE," by Ingrid Law, Dial Books for Young Readers/Walden Media, $16.99 (ages 8-12) www.amazon.com

Nine years after Mibs's "Savvy" journey, her cousin Ledge has just turned 13.

Like the rest of his family, Ledge gets a savvy or powerful innate gift when he becomes a teen. But Ledge's savvy is anything but cool — he actually makes things fall apart.

The only place safe for Ledge is Wyoming, or so his family thinks. It turns out Ledge's savvy is much more powerful than anyone thought. And to make things worse, his savvy disaster has an outside witness: Sarah Jane Cabot, a reporter wannabe.

Now Ledge has to keep Sarah from turning family secrets into headlines, save Uncle Autry's ranch, and scumble his savvy into control so he can go home.

"TOUCH BLUE," by Cynthia Lord, Scholastic Press, $16.99 (ages 9-12) www.amazon.com

The state of Maine plans to shut down Tess Brooks' island's schoolhouse, which would force her family to move to the mainland — and Tess to leave the only home she has ever known.

Fortunately, the islanders have a plan, too — increase the number of students by having several families take in foster children. So now Tess and her family are taking a chance on Aaron, a 13-year-old trumpet player who has been bounced from home to home.