Some stories are simply too good or too big to be told in one book. Sometimes you just have to have more … so here are four brilliant YA trilogies currently residing on the New Teen shelves.

“Trouble Is a Friend of Mine,” by Stephanie Tromly, has been billed as “Sherlock Holmes meets Veronica Mars meets Ferris Beuller”, and it more than lives up to that hype. Zoe Webster is the new girl at a school decidedly unfriendly to outsiders — the perfect lonely heart to be sucked into Philip Digby’s manic investigation of a missing girl. Digby is arrogant, rude, and lacking in good judgment (to say the least), but Zoe can’t stop following him into dangerous situations that land her in big trouble. Witty and sarcastic, Zoe is the perfect first-person narrator for their crazy, exciting adventures. This book and its sequels — “Trouble Makes a Comeback” and “Trouble Never Sleeps” — will have you laughing out loud, especially if you happen to have a rebellious streak.

“A Study in Charlotte,” the first book of Brittany Cavallaro’s Charlotte Holmes trilogy, offers a fresh twist on familiar Sherlock Holmes stories, thrusting great-great-great descendants of Holmes and Watson into the 21st century. When Jamie Watson is sent off to a Connecticut prep school on a very questionable rugby scholarship, he finds himself in a tense rivalry with brilliant and mysterious Charlotte Holmes. The two “outsiders” from England are forced to drop their animosity and work together to clear themselves after they are framed for a classmate’s murder. Fortunately, Charlotte Holmes was born to solve mysteries. If this book’s thrilling suspense, snappy dialogue, and compelling characters make you sorry to reach the end, don’t forget there are two more — “The Last of August” and “A Case for Jamie” — waiting for checkout at PWPL.

Three popular YA novelists — Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows — have teamed up as the “Lady Janies” to write a madcap trilogy inspired by their affection for classic British literature. The second book in the series, “My Plain Jane,” is a hilarious take on Jane Eyre, with a paranormal twist. The Janies insert author Charlotte Bronte alongside familiar characters from her gothic Victorian novel, and gently mock them through a modern, feminist lens. A royal society dedicated to hunting cantankerous ghosts tries in vain to recruit ghost-seer Jane Eyre, who is already smitten with Mr. Rochester. Meanwhile, Charlotte Bronte desperately wants to become a paranormal detective but is rejected by the society. “Nevertheless, she persisted.” My Plain Jane is highly recommended for open-minded Jane Eyre fans, lovers of paranormal fiction, or anyone who needs a good laugh. The first “Janies” novel, My Lady Jane, can also be found on the New Teen shelf, and we are impatiently waiting for the third book to be published.

Bestselling author Holly Black has earned the title Faerie Queen for her gripping portrayals of the dark faerie world. Her latest novel, “The Cruel Prince,” is the first installment in her new Folk of the Air series. Jude Duarte was kidnapped and taken into Faerie a child, along with her twin sister Taryn and their older sister Vivi. The three sisters are being raised by their kidnapper, Madoc, the very same faerie who brutally murdered their parents while the girls watched. Faerie is full of peril for Jude, who wants much more than the options offered to humans: servitude or marriage to a faerie. Jude wants to become a knight — but to achieve that goal she must defy the wicked Prince Cardan. Stick with this book through its dark beginning, and you will be rewarded with sword-fighting, espionage, romance, betrayal, and thrilling plot twists. Check it out soon, because the sequel, “The Wicked King,” is due to arrive at the library in January.

By Mary Schneeberger

Teen Services Coordinator