School's out and you have at least 10 weeks to move to a new schedule --- or no schedule at all. I love summer for just this reason. There is time to explore, dream and think. May we suggest that you spend some of these next weeks reading books? We love the way you can travel with a book without leaving your own backyard.

Our poll this month asks if you will be reading the new Harry Potter book. We look forward to hearing what you have to say. For our question this month, tell us what you are looking forward to reading this summer. Be sure to weigh in!

For those of you who wrote us over the past couple of months and did not hear back, we apologize. This certainly is not our style. We had a glitch in our mail system, but the good news is --- it's fixed. Marisa Emralino, our new Editorial Coordinator, is answering mail quite promptly these days so if you have something on your mind about books or authors, do drop us a note.

I am heading to the American Library Association Conference today where I will be speaking about teens and the Internet. I thank you for all that you have shared with us about the books and authors these past months. I look forward to passing it along to attendees at this Conference.

In the next week or so, we are going to be posting our Teenreads.com Reader Survey. We will send out a special mailing about this. We look forward to your weighing in and sharing how you select the books you read --- and telling us more about what you like to read.

Enjoy the rest of June and the summer months ahead.

Vacation well.

-- Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

RAVEN'S GATE: Book One of The Gatekeepers
by Anthony Horowitz (Horror/Fantasy)
From the author of the bestselling Alex Rider novels comes THE GATEKEEPERS, a gripping new series that pits good against evil and past against present in a battle that will determine the course of future civilization. In RAVEN'S GATE, the first riveting book in the series, a troubled young boy finds himself at the heart of a strange and sinister plot hatched by the bizarre inhabitants of a remote English village. Will he uncover the truth in time to put an end to their evil plans and save himself as well? Reviewed by Joni Rendon and excerpted.

Carolyn Juris, who writes book reviews for various publications --- including Teen People, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Washington Post Sunday Source --- interviewed Melissa Lion, author of SWOLLEN and UPSTREAM. Lion talks about the meanings of these two titles, her love for teenagers --- particularly as it relates to literature --- her fascination with mystery novels, and why she has no desire to write books specifically for adults.

UPSTREAM by Melissa Lion (Fiction)
When she starts her senior year, Marty must return to school by herself --- without her beloved boyfriend, Steven. Something happened during the summer that changed things forever. Only Marty knows what really transpired, and it's something she must never, ever tell. Reviewed by Carolyn Juris and excerpted.

Teenreads.com contributing writer Renee Kirchner interviewed Lauren Mechling and Laura Moser, co-authors of THE RISE AND FALL OF A 10th-GRADE SOCIAL CLIMBER. Lauren and Laura offer insight into some of the characters that populate their debut novel and who they are able to most identify with in the book. They also explain how they met each other, their decision to become novelists, and what their writing routine is like.

THE RISE AND FALL OF A 10th-GRADE SOCIAL CLIMBER
by Lauren Mechling and Laura Moser (Fiction)
This coming-of-age novel explores friendships, both old and new. The story is told in Mimi Schulman's honest and sarcastic voice, and the reader feels every social snub and acceptance with the raw emotions of a teenager. Reviewed by Renee Kirchner and excerpted.

MOONLIGHT SECRETS: Fear Street Nights, Book One by R.L. Stine (Horror/Suspense)

Taking the necklace from the abandoned mansion seemed harmless at the time, but all the strange occurrences that have followed are proving otherwise. R. L. Stine, America's master of horror, returns with a brand-new trilogy that fans of his original Fear Street series are sure to find chilling and heart-stopping. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

THE AU PAIRS #2: SKINNY-DIPPING
by Melissa de la Cruz (Fiction)
Your favorite bikini-clad au pairs --- Mara, Eliza and Jacqui --- are back for another season of skinny-dipping in Georgica Pond, tanning on Main Beach, and (of course) babysitting for the Perry kids. The girls think they're ready for another summer of outrageous fun, but a lot of things have changed since last year. Reviewed by Amy Alessio and excerpted.

June's roundup of cool new books includes THE MINISTER'S DAUGHTER, Julie Hearn's first novel to be published in the United States. It is a dual tale of deception, witchcraft, hypocrisy, and betrayal set during the tumultuous era of the Civil War in England. This month also marks the debut of three exciting series: FEAR STREET NIGHTS, a brand-new trilogy from R. L. Stine that serves as a follow-up to his popular Fear Street series; Francine Pascal's FEARLESS FBI, featuring the much-anticipated return of Gaia Moore; and HOVER CAR RACER, an action-packed series of techno-thrillers by New York Times bestselling author Matthew Reilly. All eight installments of this series were available in 2004 on Reilly's website as a free e-book, which was featured on both Teenreads.com and Kidsreads.com.

Carmen, Bridget, Lena and Tibby have arrived in theaters --- along with their pair of magical jeans of course! June 1st marked the big screen release of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the highly anticipated film based on the bestselling novel by Ann Brashares. To celebrate, Random House has published three Sisterhood-related titles that fans will treasure.

THE MINISTER'S DAUGHTER by Julie Hearn (Historical Fiction)
In her first novel to be published in the United States, Julie Hearn spins a darkly complex dual tale of deception, witchcraft, hypocrisy, and betrayal set in seventeenth-century England during the conflicted days of the Civil War. Reviewed by Norah Piehl and excerpted.

GUYS WRITE FOR GUYS READ: Boys' Favorite Authors Write About Being Boys edited by Jon Scieszka (Teen Anthology)
This is a fast-paced, high energy collection of short works --- stories, essays, columns, cartoons, anecdotes and artwork --- by today's most popular writers and illustrators. Among the contributors: Brian Jacques, Jerry Spinelli, Chris Crutcher, and Neil Gaiman. Reviewed by Carlie Webber and excerpted.

THE CLOUD CHAMBER by Joyce Maynard (Fiction)
A confused yet determined fourteen-year-old Montana boy hopes that winning the science fair will give him the opportunity to see his father, who is being kept in a hospital far away from his family. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

THE NAMING: The First Book of Pellinor by Alison Croggon (Fantasy/Adventure)
Sixteen-year-old Maerad thought she was going to live the rest of her life as a slave, until one day a mysterious traveler appears with the news that she has a Gift that hangs in the Balance between the Light and the Dark. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

BILLY THE KID by Theodore Taylor (Historical Fiction/Western)
Theodore Taylor masterfully blends fact and fiction in this tale of real-life legend Billy the Kid, which imagines William H. Bonney's fate had his life of crime taken a very different turn. Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts.

THE DATING GAME #2: BREAKING UP IS REALLY, REALLY HARD TO DO by Natalie Standiford (Fiction)
Natalie Standiford's second installment in her Dating Game series --- starring Holly, Lina and Madison --- is another example of fine realistic fiction, with a healthy dose of humor thrown in for good measure. Reviewed by Melissa A. Palmer.

SOPHIE PITT-TURNBULL DISCOVERS AMERICA by Dyan Sheldon (Fiction)
Sixteen-year-old Sophie Pitt-Turnbull is devastated when her mother announces that they won't be taking their usual summer vacation to France. But then a miracle of sorts occurs, and Sophie is off to New York for the next few months. Unfortunately, her trip is not at all what she expected it to be. Reviewed by Kristi Olson.

WEEDS IN BLOOM: Autobiography of an Ordinary Man by Robert Newton Peck (Autobiography)
With over 65 books published, including A DAY NO PIGS WOULD DIE, Robert Newton Peck has enjoyed an illustrious writing career. Now, in this unique autobiography, Peck tells his story through the people in his life. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.

YOUR NAME IN PRINT: A Teen's Guide to Publishing for Fun, Profit and Academic Success by Timothy Harper and Elizabeth Harper (Reference)
With advice on how to write newspaper and magazine features, blogs, music and movie reviews, novels and short stories, the father-daughter team of Timothy and Elizabeth Harper shows that it's possible for anyone who writes well to get published. Reviewed by W. Terry Whalin.

A GATHERING OF SHADES by David Stahler Jr. (Fiction)
Sixteen-year-old Aidan's grandmother feeds ghosts. Her nightly ritual keeps the local lost souls lingering, caught between life and death. When Aidan stumbles upon this knowledge in the wake of his own father's passing, the revelation shakes him to the core. Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts.

RUNNER by Carl Deuker (Thriller/Action & Adventure)
Chance Taylor is presented with a golden opportunity to make enough money to support himself and his father, but he has reservations about the nature of his work, which is a complete mystery to him. Reviewed by Carlie Webber.

THE DIARY OF PELLY D by L. J. Adlington (Fiction)
This thought-provoking first novel reminds readers of the continuing arbitrary and brutal nature of discrimination, and challenges them to think about ethics, personal freedom, the role of government, and genetic engineering. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

CLAIMING GEORGIA TATE by Gigi Amateau (Fiction)
A custody battle between her father and grandparents leaves twelve-year-old Georgia Tate Jamison sad and confused. Adding to the confusion is a secret that best friend Ginger finally lets spills about Georgia's Tate's mother, whom Georgia Tate thought had died. Reviewed by Hannah Gomez.

DEAD ON TOWN LINE by Leslie Connor (Mystery/Free Verse)
In this mystery relayed in free verse, the teenaged narrator, Cassie Devlin, is dead. But she continues to share her story, including the puzzling fact that Cassie isn't quite finished with what she needs to do --- and that she's not alone. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

GIRLS DINNER CLUB by Jessie Elliot (Fiction)
Three friends gather to prepare food, eat, and dish about boys, parents, school, and life. In the process, they cook up support for one another, sharing side dishes of happiness, sorrow, and humor along with the prawns and tiramisu. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

DUSK by Susan Gates (Science Fiction)
When a government laboratory burns down, a girl with unusual abilities escapes to live a life in a ghost town where "survival of the fittest" takes on a whole new meaning. Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle.

GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST by David Yoo (Fiction)
Nick Park loves girls. But he can never get a date, and he's convinced himself that this is solely based on the fact that he's the only Korean American teenager in the white suburb of Renfield, Connecticut. Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

Which of the following Harry Potter books have you read? If you have read all, just check "all of them" and not each individual title.

All of them
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Will you read HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE?

As soon as it comes out
Soon after it comes out
Eventually
I have read the other Harry Potter titles but am not planning to read this one.
I do not read Harry Potter books.

Besides HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, what book are you most looking forward to reading this summer?

This contest period, one teen reader will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE MINISTER'S DAUGHTER by Julie Hearn. (See official rules below.) To automatically enter to win, e-mail us your recommendations and book ratings.