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Fiction | Page 143 | LitPick Book Reviews
Fiction
I Will Save You
I Will Save You
Matt De La Peña
Kidd is running from his past and his future. No mom, no dad, and there’s nothing for him at the group home but therapy. He doesn’t belong at the beach where he works either, unless he finds a reason to stay.   Olivia is blond hair, blue eyes, rich dad. The prettiest girl in Cardiff. She’s hiding something from Kidd—but could they ever be together anyway?   Devon is mean, mysterious, and driven by a death wish. A best friend and worst enemy. He followed Kidd all the way to the beach and he’s not leaving until he teaches him a few lessons about life. And Olivia.An ALA-YALSA Quick Pick"De la Peña has crafted a taught psychological novel that will...stay with readers."-Booklist

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Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes
Sweet Treats and Secret Crushes
Lisa Greenwald
When a blizzard threatens to ruin Valentine’s Day, three seventh-grade friends make and distribute fortune cookies to their lonely neighbors—and confront the secrets they’ve been keeping from one another.   Confident Kate doesn’t notice much but the latest gossip, and shy Georgia can’t say out loud what’s always on her mind. They’re joined by observant, careful Olivia, whose epic, single-minded crush on PBJ (real name: Phillip Becker-Jacobs) is starting to frustrate the other two. Using fortune cookies that mysteriously always seem to speak directly to the person who opens them, the three girls try to work together to bring some love to their building, while reminding each other why they’re such good friends to begin with. With all the right ingredients to appeal to tween girls, this is an irresistible confection from an emerging talent."The trio’s romantic ups and downs tie the story together… an affectionate, insightful ode to friendship. An enjoyable, sure-to-be popular read." –Booklist

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Labeled
Labeled
Mark Salvatore
We meet Vinnie in high school where he does not attend classes. His path leads from untimely deaths, changes of schools, a first love, to problems academically, emotionally and socially. He reels from a failed first encounter with a girl. He reads philosophical works and experiments with alcohol and other drugs. His major conflict is introversion compounded by self-medication. He hitchhikes across the country with two friends. Upon his return he’s under pressure at school. Psychologists and the school administration recommend that Vinnie be transferred to a special school, which he never attends. As Vinnie descends he realizes that he must change. An arrest results in court-ordered rehabilitation.

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Sacrifice of Ericc (Altered Creatures)
Sacrifice of Ericc
Anthony G. Wedgeworth
Thorik Dain takes a vow to save Ericc from being sacrificed to end a prophecy. However, in doing so he finds Ericc has revenge on his mind for the murder of his father. Thorik chases Ericc across Australis to prevent him from attacking his father's killer. The same man who is planning to Sacrifice Ericc once he comes out of hiding.

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Essence of Gluic
Essence of Gluic
A. G. Wedgeworth
War is pending as Bakalor, the Demon of the underworld, sends his minions out to ensure total destruction of all those who live above ground in the sun. His plan to resurface and rule the world is nearing the final stages as he leads land dwelling leaders into a war that will wipe each other off the face of the earth. Ergrauth, the demon of the Del'Unday, leads his army of Altered Creatures to the final battle in order to capture the world before Bakalor claims it for himself. Unknown to the underworld demon, Ergrauth has no plans to share in his bounty. Learning of the pending war plans, young Thorik Dain struggles to prevent the war from occurring in the first place, pulling him from his primary mission of saving his grandmother. Unaware that he is being used as a pawn by the powerful leaders and demons, Thorik's desire to save Gluic inadvertently puts his life, as well as the lives of everyone who is trying to help him, in danger.

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Ten Miles Past Normal
Ten Miles Past Normal
Frances O'Roark Dowell
Janie Gorman wants to be normal. The problem with that: she’s not. She’s smart and creative and a little bit funky. She’s also an unwilling player in her parents’ modern-hippy, let’s-live-on-a-goat-farm experiment (regretfully, instigated by a younger, much more enthusiastic Janie). This, to put it simply, is not helping Janie reach that “normal target.” She has to milk goats every day…and endure her mother’s pseudo celebrity in the homemade-life, crunchy mom blogosphere. Goodbye the days of frozen lasagna and suburban living, hello crazy long bus ride to high school and total isolation--and hovering embarrassments of all kinds. The fresh baked bread is good…the threat of homemade jeans, not so much. It would be nice to go back to that old suburban life…or some grown up, high school version of it, complete with nice, normal boyfriends who wear crew neck sweaters and like social studies. So, what’s wrong with normal? Well, kind of everything. She knows that, of course, why else would she learn bass and join Jam Band, how else would she know to idolize infamous wild-child and high school senior Emma (her best friend Sarah’s older sister), why else would she get arrested while doing a school project on a local freedom school (jail was not part of the assignment). And, why else would she kind of be falling in "like" with a boy named Monster—yes, that is his real name. Janie was going for normal, but she missed her mark by about ten miles…and we mean that as a compliment. Frances O’Roark Dowell’s fierce humor and keen eye make her YA debut literary and wise. In the spirit of John Green and E. Lockhart, Dowell’s relatable, quirky characters and clever, fluid writing prove that growing up gets complicated…and normal is WAY overrated.

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Cryer's Cross
Cryer's Cross
Lisa McMann
Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer¹s Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind. But when Cryer's Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico. Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search--and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can't stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried....

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Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Dash and Lilly's Book of Dares
David Levithan, Rachel Cohn
A whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist!   “I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”  16-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on her favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. Dash, in a bad mood during the holidays, happens to be the first guy to pick up the notebook and rise to its challenges. What follows is a whirlwind romance as Dash and Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City. But can their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions, or will their scavenger hunt end in a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?Co-written by Rachel Cohn (GINGERBREAD) and David Levithan, co-author of WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON with John Green (THE FAULT IN OUR STARS), DASH & LILY'S BOOK OF DARES is a love story that will have readers scouring bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

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The Phoenix and the Carpet (Looking Glass Library)
The Phoenix and the Carpet
Bruce Coville, H. R. Millar, E. Nesbit
E. Nesbit’s rip-roaring sequel to Five Children and It follows the wondrous adventures of Robert, Jane, Cyril, Anthea, and The Lamb as they discover a clever phoenix and a magic carpet that can take them anywhere they wish. With an introduction by popular fantasy author Bruce Coville, this classic novel will be sure to please.

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When Strawberries Bloom: A Novel Based On True Experiences From An Amish Writer! (Lizzie Searches for Love)
When Strawberries Bloom
Linda Byler
          New love and even more questions enter Lizzie Glick's life in When Strawberries Bloom, the second novel in this series written by an Amish writer and based on true life experiences. Lizzie's dream of teaching school has finally come true. She loves the brand-new school building, the sound of the children singing, and the independence she has in the classroom. Even the occasionally unruly boys can't ruin the excitement she feels each morning when she starts the school day.           But at home things are in turmoil again. What do Dat's sudden health problems mean for the future of their farm? And what about Lizzie's future? Emma and Mandy are so certain that Joshua and John are their perfect matches, but Lizzie doesn't know what to think about Stephen and how he might fit into her life. What will Lizzie decide? Will she continue to teach school? Or will she give up that dream so that her wish for marriage and a family can come true? Stephen says he loves her, but Lizzie isn't sure he really understands her. Can she hope to find anyone within her Amish community who loves her bright mind, her ever-active imagination, her competitive spirit and her stormy humor?Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

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