During high school, many teens try on a variety of personas before figuring out who they are—exactly. In these recent young adult titles, those stakes are raised for three teens who conceal their identities for the purposes of deception, profit, or human connection. In Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (HarperCollins, 2015; Gr. 8 Up), Simon has been carrying on a flirty email exchange with a mysterious correspondent. He has concealed his sexual identity from his friends and family and the back-and-forth banter he engages under a pseudonym provide him with his only outlet for his recently realized feelings for other males. When an irritating classmate discovers his secret, the 16-year-old is confronted with the threat of being outed alongside his unknown partner unless he delivers one of his best friends into the arms of his blackmailer, Martin. As Simon struggles with his sexuality and the pressure to protect his anonymous crush, he is forced to reckon his inner and outer selves. Simon is an utterly engaging protagonist, snarky but endearing and his coming-out story make the novel an excellent contribution to the current We Need Diverse Books campaign. While his initial reaction when threatened is panic, his response was not selfish. He is concerned with protecting the privacy of the alluring mystery suitor with whom he is corresponding. When Simon opens up to his family and friends he is treated with respect and acceptance but the threat remains for the person on the other end of his emails. While moments of stress and internal debate keep the tension high, this happily-ever-after tale demonstrates the importance of Simon embracing his identity. A tense relationship, a heated argument, and a car crash. Trisha Leaver’s The Secrets We Keep (Farrar, 2015; Gr 9 Up) is an eye-opening look at the reckoning that occurs in the wake of a fatal accident. After the crash, only one twin remains, and in the confusion that follows, their identities are swapped. Now Ella is forced to live as Maddy, a choice she makes partially out of the guilt and anguish she feels at being behind the wheel when the car skidded off the road. Ella and Maddy couldn’t have been more different, and as it turns out Maddy was concealing secrets that Ella is forced to confront in her attempt to live for and as her sister. While the original mix-up happened as a result of confusion over clothing and what Ella said at the scene of the crash, it’s the teen's feelings of inadequacy that lead her to convince her parents that Maddy is the one who lived. The tension increases throughout the novel as lies told by Maddy in the past are revealed and one of Ella’s only friends uncovers the truth. The web in which Ella appears to be ensnared is woven more and more tightly until she is forced to confront the idea of living a permanent lie or risk the fallout of revealing her true self. The Secrets We Keep will appeal to teens who appreciate suspense and stories about the complicated dynamics of a sibling relationship, especially that between twins. It’s not uncommon to try to reinvent yourself in the process of becoming who you are, but in Michelle Painchaud’s Pretending to Be Erica (Viking, 2015; Gr 9 Up), the protagonist assumes a new identity for entirely nefarious purposes. Raised by a talented con man with his eye on a priceless painting, 17-year-old Violet is groomed to step into the life of a kidnapping victim who’s been missing for more than a decade. While careful planning on the part of her father has yielded an almost seamless assumption of her new identity, her emotions and loyalties change as she experiences the kindness of the mother she is deceiving as well as the attention of a love interest she wasn’t anticipating. In the same vein as Secrets We Keep, the protagonist in Pretending To Be Erica struggles emotionally as she tries to balance who she once was with who she’s expected to be. This dark thriller is not for the faint of heart. The elaborate deception hinges on the knowledge that a young girl was kidnapped and murdered years earlier. Violet has been raised with the sole purpose of facilitating a major art heist and the only love she receives is from the man who has conceived the reprehensible plan. Her struggle to maintain the elaborate plan in the face of true familial love, even if it was designated for the girl she’s impersonating, is heartbreaking at times. The need for Violet to maintain her facade in front of man who suffered a breakdown after losing his daughter years before is particularly painful. The stakes are incredibly high for the teen and as she struggles between her training and her conscience, her life may be in danger. Hand this to readers who seek edge-of-your-seat, suspenseful thrillers. Pretending To Be Erica takes creating an identity to a masterfully dark level. Erinn Black Salge is the librarian at Saint Peter’s Prep, a Jesuit high school for boys. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and their boxer named Cooper. Her last article for Curriculum Connections,  “Feisty Females in Secret Societies” was published in our April 2015 issue.