Fiction
Where the Woods End
Charlotte Salter
In a forest filled with treacherous beasts, the thing to be most afraid of is closer than you think in this middle grade horror fantasy.Kestrel, a young huntress, lives in a seemingly endless forest crawling with dangerous beasts. But the most dangerous beasts of all are the Grabbers--beings that are born when you are and stalk you throughout your life, waiting for the perfect moment to snatch and eat you. No one has ever defeated their Grabber once attacked, and those that die from accidents or other creatures are considered "lucky." Kestrel has been tasked by her mother, a powerful and controlling spell-caster, to hunt down the Grabbers in an effort to protect their village in the forest. Accompanied by Pippit, a hilariously bloodthirsty weasel, she hones her skills as she searches for a way out of the forest--and away from the judgmental villagers who despise her. But her own Grabber is creeping ever closer, and nothing in this forest is what it seems...including her mother's true motivations.
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What the Night Sings
A Morris Award FinalistLonglisted for the National Book AwardFor fans of The Book Thief and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas comes a lushly illustrated novel about a teen Holocaust survivor who must come to terms with who she is and how to rebuild her life."A tour de force. This powerful story of love, loss, and survival is not to be missed." --KRISTIN HANNAH, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The NightingaleAfter losing her family and everything she knew in the Nazi concentration camps, Gerta is finally liberated, only to find herself completely alone. Without her papa, her music, or even her true identity, she must move past the task of surviving and on to living her life. In the displaced persons camp where she is staying, Gerta meets Lev, a fellow teen survivor who she just might be falling for, despite her feelings for someone else. With a newfound Jewish identity she never knew she had, and a return to the life of music she thought she lost forever, Gerta must choose how to build a new future."What the Night Sings is a book from the heart, of the heart, and to the heart. Vesper Stamper's Gerta will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her story is one of hope and redemption and life--a blessing to the world." --Deborah Heiligman, award-winning author of Charles and Emma and Vincent and TheoA WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK OF 2018A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF 2018
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The Royal Rabbits of London
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH meets Warriors in this charming novel that proves that even the smallest rabbit can be the biggest hero from publishing power couple Santa and Simon Sebag Montefiore.Life is an adventure. Anything in the world is possible—by will and by luck, with a moist carrot, a wet nose, and a slice of mad courage! Shylo has always been the runt of the litter, the weakest and quietest of all of his family. His siblings spend their days making fun of him for not being like the rest of them. But when Shylo stumbles across a band of ratzis and overhears their evil plan to take a photo of the Queen in her nightie, it’s up to this unlikely hero to travel to London and inform the Royal Rabbits of London about the diabolical plot! The Royal Rabbits of London have a proud history of protecting the royal family and now the secret society need to leap into action to stop the ratzis… But can a rabbit as feeble and shy as Shylo convince them that Queen is in danger?
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Hoops - Elle of the Ball
From 2015 WNBA MVP, 2016 Olympic gold medalist, and global ambassador to the Special Olympics Elena Delle Donne comes the first novel in a brand-new middle grade series with as much heart as there is game.Elle Deluca is a seventh grader who is tall--not just sort of tall. She's six feet tall. And for a twelve-year-old girl, this means that her basketball team has high hopes for her changing positions and becoming their starting center. But a new position is not the only footwork she has to learn. Her class's dance unit in gym is coming up, and that means she has to learn ballroom dance steps with a boy much shorter than her--and perform publicly for a grade. In the first book in WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist Elena Delle Donne's Hoops series, Elle must figure out a way to remain herself when others want her to be someone else.
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Harley Quinn at Super Hero High
Random House, Lisa Yee
Harley Quinn investigates a high-tech carnival in this action-packed new DC Super Hero Girl novel!Funny girl Harley Quinn loves fighting crime with her classmates like Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl, but she always does it her with own madcap style--and a big mallet! It's no surprise that Harley can't resist getting involved in a dance competition and organizing an outrageous battle of the bands. But when a high-tech carnival comes to town, Harley knows that things aren't what they seem and that only she can get to the bottom of the mystery--and deliver a great punch line while doing it!Praise for DC Super Hero Girls:“Sure to have wide appeal, this book is a solid option to balance collections saturated with male superheroes.” —School Library Journal"If you have a middle grader in your life looking for super-sized action, or a superhero enthusiast who isn’t sure where to turn to get more of the superheroes they might see on TV or in movies… Or if you just want to dive into a good book that shows young readers—especially young female readers—that girls can be the super heroes of their own stories, look no further: Super Hero High is for you." - Kirkus
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Life keeps knocking 12-year-old Alan down. Can he find the courage to get back up?Orphaned at a young age, all Alan Michaels wants is a place to belong. But the independent, street–smart kid, who lacks self-confidence, has no clue how to deal with disappointment – or a formidable bully who won’t back down. And New York City is a tough town to grow up in if you are a kid who doesn’t have much. But when he starts training at Sensei Hideki’s School of Karate, he hopes his life will change forever.Determined to prove he’s got what it takes to become a true warrior, he pushes his body and mind to the limit. But just when the karate school starts to feel like home, tragedy strikes again. Does Alan have the courage and inner strength to overcome the odds stacked against him? “When you get knocked down, you just keep getting back up. …You never give up.” Sensei paused for a moment and spoke louder. “That’s what takes real guts.” He stared at Alan intently. “You know, sometimes failures are your steppingstone to success.”You Gotta Have Heart is hopefully a new addition to the great coming of age novels in the tradition of S. E. Hinton, Jerry Spinelli, Gary D. Schmidt, J.K. Rowling, Rebecca Stead and E.L. Konigsburg.
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From the Publisher
Price of Duty
Jake Liddell is a war hero. The military is considering awarding him a Silver Star, a huge honor for any soldier -- especially for the son of a military family. Only Jake's questioning everything his family brought him up to believe.Now at home, recovering from his physical wounds, the memories of what he experienced "over there" haunt him. Meanwhile, he feels pressure from all sides. Some people want him to speak out against the military system he was brought up to honor and respect. Others, like his famous grandfather (a general himself), are urging him to return to the battlefield to fight again.Jake was raised to believe that fighting for one's country was a moral obligation. But now that he's seen firsthand the human cost of war, he is no longer sure. Bestselling YA author Todd Strasser delivers an engrossing and timely novel about very real issues faced by the young people caught in today's "forever war," and the price they pay.
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Talon, Come Fly with Me
Talon Come Fly with Me by Gigi Sedlmayer is an inspirational, engaging and thoughtful must read story. It follows the story of a little nine year old girl whose parents are missionaries in the small village of Pucara, Peru. Matica, finds making friends with the local kids to be difficult. Matica has a condition that has hindered her growth, so she is extremely small like that of a two year old. The local Indians and villagers, don't understand her and are leery and mistrustful of her.Then Matica comes upon two condors, a male and a female. She is able to win their trust and begins to mysteriously communicate with them. Her adventure has begun. The condor's egg is stolen by poachers and Matica and her father set out to rescue it, and they are successful. With the condor's approval, Matica takes care of the precious egg. When the egg hatches,Matica becomes a substitute mother to the baby condor and names it,Talon. The local's observe the success Matica has had with the condors,and they begin to warm up to her. Eventually, tiny Matica, becomes a well-liked, admired and respected part of the community.Talon, Come Fly with Me by Gigi Sedlmayer is filled with warmth and inspiration. It is a touching story about a nine year girl that overcomes her disability and uses it for something extraordinary.Her love for nature changes her life and it becomes meaningful and purposeful for her. Her disability is no longer a hindrance or something to be ashamed of.Gigi Sedlmayer has woven a tapestry of beauty, harmony and excitement in her fabulous story. It is filled with intrigue and even some suspense. I loved it and couldn't put it down and read it late into the night to find out what would happen next. It brought a feeling of serenity to my soul. I loved the tale of the giant magnificent condors,coupled with the human interaction. It is just a beautiful story that adults and children will both enjoy. It will be fully entertaining for the entire family.I believe that Talon, Come Fly with Me should be a reading requirement in schools. It is full of emotion and love with important messages throughout. The exemplary descriptive writing had me on the beautiful scene watching on as the story unfolded. Gigi Sedlmayer is an excellent writer with a unique voice. This story is original, genuine and compelling. Artisan Book Reviews highly recommends it to all readers. It is a page-turner and a must read magical tale for everyone that likes clean, thoughtful and exciting reads about animals and extraordinary people. BOOK 1: Talon, come fly with meTOP10 FINALIST with AUTHORS ACADEMY AWARDS 2018 SILVER MEDAL AWARD with READERS'FAVORITE in Children's' adventure 2018Finalist with: BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARD, 2017Finalist with: IAN Book of the year award 2017 - The Independent Author Network Silver for BOOK COVER competition with Authorsdb 20165 star Review byReaders' Favorite, 4 out of 4 stars review by Online Book Club BEA10
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City of Devils
World War II was only the beginning. When the Night War ravages America, turning it into a country of monsters, humans become a downtrodden minority. Nick Moss is the only human private eye in town, and he's on the trail of a missing city councilor. With monsters trying to turn him - or, better yet, simply kill him - he's got to watch his back while trying to find his man. Or mummy, as the case may be. Once, it was the City of Angels. But now, Los Angeles is the City of Devils...and Nick has a devil of a job to do.
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The Selkie of San Francisco
Todd Calgi Gallicano
In the thrilling sequel to Guardians of the Gryphon's Claw, an epic adventure novel that "is sure to keep lovers of Rick Riordan running to the shelves," Sam London dives headlong into his second case involving a selkie, a mysterious girl, and an ominous new threat to the mythical and human worlds (School Library Journal)!Sam London didn't mean to uncover an ancient secret, but when he found out that mythical creatures are real and living in our national parks, he became the newest recruit to the Department of Mythical Wildlife. Ever since, the middle schooler has been anxiously awaiting the call for his next case . . . and it finally arrives with the brazen appearance of a selkie in San Francisco Bay.Along with Dr. Vance Vantana and the guardian Tashi, Sam pursues the selkie, who has taken a peculiar interest in fashion's newest "it" girl and social media star, Pearl Eklund. But the closer he gets, the more questions emerge about Pearl's mysterious connection to the mythical world. Is she the long-lost hope for an entire civilization or the harbinger of its doom? It's up to Sam to find out the truth, and fast. . . . The fate of humanity hangs in the balance.Praise for Guardians of the Gryphon's Claw, Book One:"A death-defying, globe-spanning adventure, packed with creatures out of folklore and myth." --Publishers Weekly"So original and exciting. This is the best fantasy-adventure novel I have read in some time." --Martin Olson, New York Times bestselling author of The Adventure Time Encyclopaedia
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