Candace Schmidt

Green Mansions by W. H. Hudson.
Abel, a young European, falls in love with Rima, a lovely and mysterious girl of the jungle, and the two travel through the South American jungle to Rima's distant homeland.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.
Quasimodo, the horribly misshapen bell-ringer of Notre Dame, rescues and defends the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
A young governess falls in love with her master but their love is
threatened when a terrifying mystery is exposed.

An Angel for May by Melvin Burgess.
Tam travels back in time to his small English town at the time of World War II, where his friendship helps a traumatized girl living on a farm just outside the town.

Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death by Richard Peck.
Blossom, high-school freshman and possessor of "second sight," helps an Egyptian princess, dead for 3500 years, to regain her tomb, and in
addition saves a suffragette school teacher from losing her job in 1914.

Down the Rabbit Hole: an Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams.
Like her idol, Sherlock Holmes, Ingrid uses her intellect to solve a
murder case in her hometown.

Twisted Summer by Willo Davis Roberts.
Fourteen-year-old Cici hopes for a romantic summer at the beach but
instead finds herself trying to solve a murder which had occurred there the previous year.

All of these books are from our young adult collection.

The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.
After the death of his guardian uncle, Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency. The first book in the series is Stormbreaker and there are now six titles in the series.

Acceleration by Graham McNamee.
Stuck working in the Lost and Found of the Toronto Transit Authority for the summer, seventeen-year-old Duncan finds the diary of a serial killer and sets out to stop him.

Black Mirror by Nancy Werlin.
Convinced her brother's death was murder rather than suicide,
sixteen-year-old Frances begins her own investigation into suspicious
student activities at her boarding school.

If you liked the Abhorsen Trilogy, you also want to try (if you haven't already) some of Garth Nix's other series such as the Keys to the Kingdom and the Seventh Tower.

Also, here are a few other fantasy titles you may enjoy.

The Amulet of Samarkand: Book One of the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud.
Nathaniel, a magician's apprentice, summons up the djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand.

Hopefully you will enjoy some these titles, all of which feature a smart female sleuth!

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer.
Enola, the niece of Sherlock Holmes, is drawn into two mysteries, both surrounding missing persons.

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.
When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a
precious Vermeer painting disappears, Petra and Calder combine their
talents to solve an international art scandal.

I am going to suggest some titles based on reviews and also based on comments of other readers. I am also going to take into account what you said you liked about the book. I have asked our library to order some titles by Hillary Frank, so that I can familiarize myself with her work. It is always fun to be introduced to a new author! I hope you will like some of these titles - all from the library's young adult collection.

Here are some suggestions of novels in verse that I think will appeal to a teenage boy.

Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes.
While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poem they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their classmates.

Comfort by Carolee Dean.
Kenny fantasizes about escape from his small hometown of Comfort, Texas, following his father's release from prison.

Just in case you
are not already familiar with Chris Crutcher's other titles, here are just a
few:

Ironman.
While training for a triathlon, seventeen-year-old Bo attends
an anger management group at school which leads him to examine his
relationship with his father.

Stotan!
A high school coach invites members of his swimming team to a
memorable week of rigorous training that tests their moral fiber as well as their physical stamina.