13 Little Blue Envelopes
by Maureen Johnson
Published 2005 by HarperCollins Publishers

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Ginny receives 13 envelopes from her "runaway" aunt.  In the first one, she finds $1000 to purchase a plane ticket to London.  The second envelope has instructions for finding a specific flat and the third instructs her to withdraw 500 pounds and be a "mysterious benefactor" to a deserving artist.  As she carefully follows the directions in each envelope, Ginny finds herself in the middle of a mysterious and romantic quest.

An Abundance of Katherines
by John Green
Published 2006 by Dutton Books

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Colin, newly graduated, has just been dumped by his 19th girlfriend named Katherine.  To cheer himself up, he decides to follow the suggestion of his best friend Hassan and take a road trip.  They find themselves in Gutshot, Tennessee, where there meet Lindsey Lee Wells.

The After Life
by Daniel Ehrenhaft
Published 2006 by Sleuth RazorBill

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"I'm dead!" says Will's estranged and newly buried father on a DVD in the lawyer's office.  Also in the office are his half siblings--Liz and Kyle--whom he has only briefly met before.  Their father offers Will a deal--drive the family's old Volvo from Florida back to New York City and he will get two million dollars.  But Will does not drive, having seen his uncle die in a fiery car crash, and relies on drugs and alcohol to help him cope with his problems.

All the Way
by Andy Behrens
Published 2006 by Dutton Books

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Ian has had a boring summer working at Dunkin' Donuts and is excited about his upcoming weekend road trip to visit and get to "know" Danielle, a college student he met in a chat room.  However, his two good friends, Lance, a womanizer, and Felicia, just back from an exciting trip to Europe, decide to come with him and make changes to his plans, often with hilarious results.

The Bean Trees
by Barbara Kingsolver
Published 1989 by Harper Perennial

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Having earned enough money to buy an old Volkswagon, Taylor leaves her hard-scrabble life in Kentucky and heads west.  Her car breaks down on a Cherokee reservation in Oklahoma and she is surprised when a woman leaves an abused little girl in her car and asks Taylor to take her.

Becoming Chloe
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Published 2006 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

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Jordy has come out to his father and is now homeless.  From the shelter of a basement in an abandoned building in New York City, he hears the sounds of a girl being raped and rescues her.  He and Chloe help each other until further violence forces them to flee on a cross-country trip, seeking beauty in the sights and people around them.

Copper Sun
by Sharon Mills Draper
Published 2006 by Atheneum Books

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Slave traders seize Amari in an African village and drag her to a slave ship sailing for the Carolinas.  Surviving the Middle Passage, she is bought by a plantation owner as a birthday present for his 16-year-old son.  Amidst the violence and despair, Amari befriends a white indentured servant named Polly and dreams of escape. 

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
by Richard Yancey
Published 2005 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

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Alfred's uncle/guardian can't resist the offer of one million dollars to steal a sword.  Reluctantly, Alfred agrees to help him.  Wouldn't you know it--the sword turns out to be King Arthur's Excalibur and now it is in the hands of one evil dude named Mogart.  Alfred finds himself chasing after Mogart in an effort to save the world.

Freaks: Alive, on the Inside!
by Annette Curtis Klause
Published 2006 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

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Abel, who lives with his legless father and armless mother amid a group of performers with unusual physical characteristics, finds being "normal" a handicap.  After receiving an ancient ring that results in strange dreams with a beautiful woman beckoning him (and, admittedly, wanting to find someone other than Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl to kiss), he runs away, joining a traveling circus.

Hit the Road
by Caroline B. Cooney
Published 2006 by Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

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Brit, a newbie driver, is dropped off by her parents at her grandmother's house for two weeks while they go on vacation.  Her mother has taken away Nannie's license but Nannie is determined to go to her 65th college reunion.   Brit reluctantly agrees to drive her grandmother on a three-state road trip to the reunion, picking up three sorority sisters along the way, one of whom they have to kidnap from a nursing home.

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart
by Deb Caletti
Published 2004 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

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Ruby's father left them long ago but makes occasional appearances which initially energize her mother but then depress her.  Ruby, herself, has just fallen for a "bad boy"--Travis--and is finding it difficult to break away.  Her mother has an idea to help them both: How about uniting an elderly member of her book club (the Casserole Queens) with a long-lost lover?

How I Live Now
by Meg Rosoff
Published 2004 by Wendy Lamb Books

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Daisy leaves her evil pregnant stepmother in New York City for England where she will stay with her aunt and the cousins she has never met.  Soon after, England is attacked and with her aunt away on business, she and her cousins at first find living on the farm by themselves to be wonderful.  But as power and food shortages make life more difficult, they struggle to survive.  When soldiers take over the farm, they are separated and Daisy becomes responsible for her young cousin Piper.  She is determined to keep them both alive and to reunite with Piper's brothers. 

Rainbow Road
by Alex Sanchez
Published 2005 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

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Jason, having come out to his basketball team in his senior year of high school, has received an invitation to speak at a new GLBT school in California.  His boyfriend Kyle and Kyle's friend Nelson convince him to turn in his plane ticket and take a road trip from Virginia to California with them.  Along the way, their relationships are challenged by the places they visit and the people they meet.

Road Trip
by Francine Pascal
Published 2001 by Sweet Valley

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Jeremy's family has moved to Arizona, Conner is trying to get over his girlfriend, and Evan wants to get away from Sweet Valley.  A quick trip to Las Vegas might help.

Rules of the Road
by Joan Bauer
Published 1998 by Putnam Publishing Group

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Jenna Boller is the best shoes salesperson at Gladstone Shoe Store.  She loves people and shoes, and now she has her new driver's license.  She also must deal with her alcoholic father who comes back into her life periodically.  But Jenna has been asked by the store's owner to drive her from Illinois to Texas and help her prevent a corporate takeover by her son.

Runaway
by Wendelin Van Draanen
Published 2006 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

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Her mother died of a drug overdose and Holly has been living in a series of foster homes.  Her current foster parents are the worst of all.  After a terrifying experience of having her head held down in a flushing toilet, she vows to escape, relying on her wits as she travels by bus, train, and truck to California.

Sabriel
by Garth Nix
Published 1996 by Eos

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Sabriel attends a private school while her father, the Mage Abhorsen, lives in the Old Kingdom.  As a necromancer, he must make sure that the Dead remain dead.  But now her father is missing and Sabriel begins a dangerous journey into the Old Kingdom to find him.

Scrib
by David Ives
Published 2005 by HarperCollins Publishers

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It is 1863 and Scrib, who ran away from home several years ago, has become a letter writer in the Wild West for those unable to write their own, including a love-sick cowboy and a hunted outlaw.  But as Scrib follows his circuit, he knows someone is following him and discovers a message written in ash on a stone--"Die."  Desperate to keep body and soul together while doing all he can to find the person chasing him, Scrib leaves his readers doubled over in laughter.

Witch Child
by Celia Rees
Published 2001 by Candlewick Press (MA)

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In 1659, Mary's grandmother, her only relative, is hanged as a witch, and Mary fears she will be next.  A mysterious stranger gives her an opportunity to escape on a boat carrying Puritans to America.  But not long after she arrives, she find herself the source of blame at a witch trial centering around the hysterical behavior of young Puritan girls.

Zigzag
by Ellen Wittlinger
Published 2003 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

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Robin's boyfriend is spending the summer in Italy and she is devastated.  An offer by her aunt to accompany her and her two young children on a cross-country road trip has some promise but she knows her cousins can be horrible.  They are worse than she thought as both struggle over the loss of their father.  But as they zigzag from state to state, experiencing adventures and meeting new people, they grow a little closer and more understanding of one another.