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Vampire Island
Adele Griffin
Synopsis: From a National Book Award finalist comes a lively new spin on the classic vampire tale.

When old-world dangers threaten a race of fruit bat hybrids, where can they run to? New York City, of course! And that?s where we meet the Livingstone kids?Lexie, Hudson, and Maddy?trying to blend their ?vampireness? with the regular people of the city. Unfortunately, their vampire traits keep complicating things. Lexie?s super speed, amazing strength, and poetry-quoting habit embarrass her in front of classmates?and her secret crush. Hudson can fly and is determined to save the planet, but with a vocabulary from the wrong century, he doesn?t quite fit in. And then there?s Maddy, who has a hard time sticking to her vegetarian diet, and an even harder time convincing her siblings that their new neighbors are vampires. With all these challenges, will Lexie, Hudson, and Maddy ever be able to navigate the normal world?

Publication Date: 06/19/08
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Claire and the Bakery Thief
Janice Poon, Janice Poon
Synopsis: Claire has moved to the country, where her parents have opened an organic bakery. Although Claire says she'd rather move to Mars, she soon falls in love with her pretty bedroom and their big creaky house. Claire hardly thinks about the city any more after she and her dog, Bongo, discover the natural wonders in the surrounding woods. And Claire has made a "best friend forever" -- the brave and headstrong Jet. To make things just about perfect, the bakery is a success ? so why are her parents always arguing? ("Why do they want a bakery when all they do is argue about it? They should open a bickery instead," writes Claire in her diary.) When Mom suddenly leaves with the Artificial Flavoring Salesman, Claire can't believe it -- why would she run off with that creepy guy? "Operation: Rescue Mom" takes Claire back to the big city with Jet and Bongo. The excitement bubbles over when the friends stumble into a quick-rising plan for global domination through artificial baking. Claire and the Bakery Thief is an irresistible treat for middle readers. And don't miss the recipes in the back!
Publication Date: 03/01/08
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Un Lun Dun
China Miéville
Synopsis: What is Un Lun Dun?

It is London through the looking glass, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and some of its lost and broken people, too–including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas; Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is an enormous pin-cushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. Un Lun Dun is a place where words are alive, a jungle lurks behind the door of an ordinary house, carnivorous giraffes stalk the streets, and a dark cloud dreams of burning the world. It is a city awaiting its hero, whose coming was prophesied long ago, set down for all time in the pages of a talking book.

When twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading out of London and into this strange city, it seems that the ancient prophecy is coming true at last. But then things begin to go shockingly wrong.


From the Hardcover edition.
Publication Date: 01/29/08
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Thank You, Lucky Stars
Beverly Donofrio
Synopsis: It’s the first day of fifth grade, and Ally is psyched. She and her best friend, Betsy, are in the same class, and have already planned on singing in the annual talent show together. But it’s not long before she sees that Betsy has made a new best friend, and Ally is no longer on her radar screen. Not to mention that the weird new kid, Tina, has glommed on to Ally. In this phenomenally accurate and readable portrayal of the trials and tribulations of fifth grade, readers will watch a quirky, sensitive, and extraordinarily likeable girl try to survive. Narrated in Ally’s distinctive first person voice, Thank You, Lucky Stars beautifully illustrates that it is possible to be unpopular, individualistic, nice, and still have fun.
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Punished!
David Lubar
Synopsis:

Logan and his friend Benedict run into the wrong guy at the library--literally. When Logan slams into the reference guy in the basement and gives hima little lip, Logan gets punished, really and truly punished. He has three days to complete three tasks before Professor Wordsworth will lift the magical punishment that keeps getting Logan in even more trouble.

Publication Date: 08/01/07
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Billy Hooten: Owlboy
Eric Powell, Tom Sniegoski
Synopsis: Billy Hooten is a weird kid. He gets beat up a lot, and spends the rest of his time doggedly trying to build a robot. One day, Billy Hooten hears a cry for help coming from the cemetery that borders his backyard. Against his better judgment, he runs toward it. And after that, everything changes for Billy Hooten. Because Billy Hooten, you see, is Owlboy. A quickthinking, goggle-and-feather-wearing superhero who protects the bizarre and monstrous citizens of Monstros City, a city that exists under Billy's hometown of Bradbury, Massachusetts. But is Billy truly worthy of the moniker Owlboy?
Publication Date: 07/24/07
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Marvelous World
Troy CLE
Synopsis: Louis Proof is an ordinary kid.

He loves listening to hip-hop, racing radio-controlled cars, and hanging out with his best friend, Brandon. Then a mysterious letter invites him to visit the local junkyard. There he finds a secret, underground amusement park like no other in existence. This is the best day of Louis's life. The park even has the most amazing race course for radio-controlled cars. Louis starts racing right away. It's a close contest; he's about to activate his nitro boost to take the lead, when...

This is the worst day of Louis's life. Without warning or reason, thirteen-year-old Louis Proof falls into a coma due to a virus of a mysterious, celestial origin. When he awakens three months later, the world that he once knew and loved is totally out of control. He will learn that his illness is connected to everything that is wrong, and that it's not only his responsibility but his destiny to set things right.

This story is a megadramatic, remarkably true, super action fantasy. Get ready!
Publication Date: 05/22/07
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Skulduggery Pleasant
Tom Percival, Derek Landy
Synopsis:

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant

Ace Detective
Snappy Dresser
Razor–tongued Wit
Crackerjack Sorcerer
and
Walking, Talking,
Fire-throwing Skeleton

—as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old.

These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil.

The end of the world?

Over his dead body.

Publication Date: 04/03/07
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Twelve
Lauren Myracle
Synopsis: The only thing more exciting than being eleven . . . is turning twelve!

Winnie Perry went through a lot when she was eleven, from shifting friendships to her teenage sister’s mood swings. But now that Winnie is twelve—and one step closer to being a teenager herself—there is so much more to deal with. Will her new friendship with Dinah last? Can she handle the pressures of junior high? And, most important, will Winnie survive bra shopping (in public!) with Mom?

Bestselling author Lauren Myracle again sharply observes a year in the life of a winning young heroine whose humor, daring, and compassion for others is infectious and unforgettable.

Publication Date: 03/15/07
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Big One-Oh
Dean Pitchford
Synopsis: Wanting to have a big celebration for his tenth birthday, friendless Charley invites all his classmates in the hopes of changing his luck, but when the class bully attends, the garage goes on fire, and the cake is destroyed, Charley must do something quick in order to stop his big event from becoming the biggest social debacle of the year.
Publication Date: 03/01/07
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Shanghaied to the Moon
Michael Daley
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Stewart Hale dreams of Space Academy and becoming a famous pilot like his mother, and like his hero Val Thorsten. But after his mother’s death, his father has forbidden any talk of Stewart going into space. And Stewart suspects there’s something that is being kept hidden from him, something they don’t want him to remember from his past.

A chance encounter with a washed-up old spacer gives Stewart an unexpected opportunity to sneak off on his own mission to the Moon. But when the old spacer’s intentions turn out to be less than honorable, Stewart realizes he hasn’t found his big break—he’s been shanghaied!
Publication Date: 03/01/07
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Lavender-Green Magic
Andre Norton
Synopsis: A mysterious maze
Eleven-year-old Holly Wade and her twin siblings, Judy and Crockett, are sent to live with their grandparents in the small town of Dimsdale, Massachusetts when their father is declared missing in action in Vietnam. Dimsdale is nothing like Boston; there are only two other African-American children in the entire school. Even worse, Grandpa and Grandma Wade live in an old junkyard! While exploring one day, Holly, Judy, and Crockett wander into an overgrown hedge maze--and find themselves transported back in time to Dimsdale's past. Can they right an ancient wrong and free the town of Dimsdale from a witch's curse?
Publication Date: 10/31/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Measle and the Dragodon
Synopsis:

When Measle Stubbs broke free from Basil Tramplebone's evil spell, he was ready to live happily ever after. But he wasn't expecting the Dragodon.

Now, faced with his most terrifying opponent yet and stranded in a sinister amusement park, this little ex-orphan must gear up for another heroic battle.

Colossal adventures continue in this second book about one of the most likeable and intrepid heroes ever!

Publication Date: 09/01/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Raven League
Alex Simmons, Bill McCay
Synopsis: When Sherlock Holmes goes missing, Archie Wiggins, an ex-member of the Baker Street Irregulars, believes the Irregulars may have something to do with it, and sets out with other misfits to not only find the famous sleuth, but solve a few murders along the way.
Publication Date: 04/20/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Pish Posh
Ellen Potter
Synopsis:

Ultra-snobby Clara Frankofile has everything an eleven-year-old girl could want. She’s fabulously wealthy, she lives alone in a penthouse apartment with its own roller coaster, and all of New York City is afraid of her! Each night at the Pish Posh restaurant, she watches the glittery movie actresses and princesses, and decides who is important enough to stay and who she will kick to the sidewalk in disgrace. But Clara’s world is turned upside down when she discovers that a peculiar mystery is happening in the restaurant, right under her upturned nose.With the help of a whip-smart twelveyear- old jewel thief, Clara embarks on a wildly dangerous mission through the streets of New York to solve a 200-hundred-year-old secret.

Publication Date: 04/20/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Penelope Bailey Takes the Stage
Synopsis: Against the wishes of her disapproving aunt, with whom she lives in 1889 San Francisco while her parents are on a scientific expedition, eleven-year-old Penny tries to prepare herself for an acting career.
Publication Date: 04/15/06
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

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