Compiled by Maddy Wells [wellsm@charleston.lib.sc.us]
Americans Abroad
The S.A.S.S. Series - Students Across the Seven Seas (various titles and authors)
Sofi Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico by Malín Alegría
When Southern California high school senior Sofi lies to her parents and crosses the border for a weekend party, she has no idea that she will get stuck in a Mexican village with relatives she has never met before, unable to return to the United States and the easy life she knew.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Four best friends who’ve never spent a summer apart are scattered around the country (and world), but stay connected thanks to a very special pair of pants.
Sequels: The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants, Forever in Blue
Lucky T by Kate Brian
Upset when her mother gives her lucky T-shirt to Help India, 16-year-old Carrie volunteers with a charity so she can travel halfway around the world to get her lucky shirt back.
Royally Jacked by Niki Burnham
When Valerie’s father gets a new job as protocol chief for the royal family of some obscure European country, Valerie has no idea of the romantic perils that await her.
Notes From a Spinning Planet: Ireland by Melody Carlson
Traveling in Ireland with her journalist aunt and her aunt's godson charming Ryan, 19-year-old Maddie unearths the secret behind an Irish Republican Army bombing decades earlier, and the impact it has had on Ryan's and Aunt Sid's lives.
Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
When her mother suddenly gets married, Phoebe soon finds herself living on a remote Greek island, at a high school where the students and teachers are all descended from gods or goddesses.
Sequel: Goddess Boot Camp
The Steps by Rachel Cohn
Over Christmas vacation, Annabel goes from her home in Manhattan to visit her father, his new wife, and her half- and step-siblings in Sydney, Australia.
Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell
16-year-old Vassar Spore's detailed plans for the next twenty years of her life are derailed when her bohemian grandmother insists that she join her in Southeast Asia for the summer, but as she writes a novel about her experiences, Vassar discovers new possibilities.
Bass Ackwards & Belly Up by Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain
When one of them doesn’t get into the college she wanted, four best friends decide to put off college in favor of pursuing their various dreams. Harper stays at home to pursue writing, Becca follows her skiing aspirations, Sophie heads to Hollywood to act, and Kate travels through Europe to discover herself.
Sequel: Footfree and Fancyloose
Afrika by Colleen Craig
13-year-old Kim travels to South Africa with her journalist mother and must come to terms with the country's diverse and often shocking history with the realization that she is not as removed from this powerful story as she thought.
Bloomability by Sharon Creech
When her aunt and uncle take her from New Mexico to Switzerland to attend an international school, 13-year-old Dinnie discovers an expanding world and her place within it.
Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis
Teens Octavia and Tali discover there’s more to their grandmother than they expected when they hear the story of how she escaped her boring life in the deep South and lied about her age to join the African American battalion of the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.
Johnny Hazzard by Eddie De Oliveira
15-year-old Johnny's seventh obligatory summer in London with his divorced father livens up when Johnny meets an older girl named January.
How To Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
When 16-year-old Amy, a spoiled American, goes to Israel for a three-month summer vacation with a father she barely knows, she is not prepared for his Jewish family and the changes they bring about in her life.
Sequel: How To Ruin My Teenage Life
The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper
When high school junior Kate wins an essay contest that sends her to Verona, Italy, to study the play Romeo and Juliet over the summer, she meets both American and Italian students and learns not just about Shakespeare, but also about star-crossed lovers – and herself.
Four Things My Geeky-Jock-of-a-Best Friend Must Do in Europe by Jane Harrington
Before Brady left on a Mediterranean cruise with her mom, her best friend Delia made a list of four things that Brady must accomplish, a task she finds very challenging.
Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson
Sequel to: Kiss Me Kill Me
Orphaned British teenager Scarlett and her American sidekick Taylor travel to Scotland in search of clues to the murder of a boy who dropped dead after kissing Scarlett.
Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe
Sequel to: Bad Kitty
When 17-year-old Jasmine is whisked off for an extended visit to Venice, Italy, at the start of her senior year, she tries her best to stay out of trouble but gets caught up in trying to solve a murder.
Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
When 17-year-old Ginny receives a packet of mysterious envelopes from her favorite aunt, she leaves New Jersey to criss-cross Europe on a scavenger hunt that transforms her life.
Girl At Sea by Maureen Johnson
High-school junior Clio reluctantly gives up her dream job and a potential first kiss to take a working vacation with her estranged father on a yacht in Italy.
Feathered by Laura Kasischke
On Spring Break in Cancun, Mexico, best friends Anne and Michelle plan to enjoy the sun and see the sights, but when they accept the wrong ride they find themselves in terrible danger.
Are We There Yet? by David Levithan
Tricked by their parents into taking a trip to Italy together, two brothers reflect on the directions of their own lives and on the distance that has grown between them.
Missing in Tokyo by Graham Marks
When his older sister is reported missing, teenager Adam travels from England to Tokyo, Japan, to look for her.
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
14-year-old Symone is thrilled when her uncle offer to take her on a journey to the Antarctic – until they get there and she realizes that Uncle Victor has a dangerous obsession that could threaten both their lives.
Angel of Mercy by Lurlene McDaniel
18-year-old Heather travels as a volunteer to Africa, where she provides direly needed medical help in Kenya and Uganda and hopes to act as God's hands on Earth.
Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald
For American party girl Tasha, an escape to England may be a chance to ditch her fame due to the unfortunate “Hot-Tub Incident,” while the British half of the exchange, Emily, nurses an aching heart in sunny California.
Pulling Princes by Tyne O’Connell
Hoping to become more popular at her elegant English boarding school, 15-year-old Californian Calypso invents a fake handsome boyfriend, until she realizes that her wit and skill at fencing may be enough to attract the attention of a real-life prince.
Sequel: Stealing Princes
Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
Secretly in love with her best friend and business partner Steve, 15-year-old Jazz must spend the summer away from him when her family goes to India during that country's rainy season to help set up a clinic.
Red Glass by Laura Resau
A year after Sophie’s family takes in 6-year-old orphan Pedro who barely survived crossing the American border, Pedro’s surviving family in Mexico makes contact, and Sophie, Aunt Dika, Dika’s new boyfriend, and his son must travel with Pedro to his hometown so that he can make a heart-wrenching decision.
High Dive by Tammar Stein
After her father’s sudden death and her mother’s deployment to Iraq as an army nurse, Arden meets a group of fun, and carefree friends on their summer break, she decides to join them to sample the sights and culinary delights of Europe.
Beautiful Americans by Lucy Silag
Four high school students on a study abroad program in Paris hide secrets, party, and revel in the glamour of the city, until one of them disappears.
Sequel: Wanderlust (forthcoming)
Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples
During the 2001 Afghan War, the lives of Najmal, a young refugee, and Nusrat, an American schoolteacher, intersect at a school in Pakistan.
Vidalia in Paris by Sasha Watson
When Vidalia wins a scholarship to study art abroad for the summer, she finds Paris is filled with surprises, including Julien, the nice bookstore clerk, and Marco, the mysterious art dealer she can’t stay away from.
Why I Let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood
On a bike trip in Ireland trying to recover from a broken heart, 16-year-old Morgan is believed to be the legendary half-goddess Morganne, sent to help end a faery curse.
Sequel: How I Found the Perfect Dress
Nonfiction
Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan by Aimee Major Steinberger (graphic novel)
Aimee describes her trip to Japan to visit the place where her favorite dolls are made and to see Kyoto and Tokyo, dress up in costumes, eat at theme restaurants, and shop.
