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Orion Poe and the Lost Explorer
Pritesh Rane, Will Summerhouse
Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Orion lives with his stodgy grandfather in eastern Maine, where nothing exciting ever happens. But then a series of strange events draws him into the mystery of a lost explorer, and Orion is swept up in a whirlwind of adventure that takes him to the top of the world. To survive he must outwit a scheming treasure hunter, team up with a gang of flimps, and take on a tyrant with an anger management problem. Can Orion solve the mystery and get back home alive? And just what are flimps, anyway? Orion Poe is about to find out. Join him as he laughs, cries, bluffs, and shoots his way to the heart of one of the greatest mysteries in the history of exploration. Along the way he discovers that the world is far bigger—and stranger—than he ever imagined.
Publication Date: 05/16/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Blood Diaries: Tales of a 6th-Grade Vampire
Synopsis: Middle school is tough enough for normal humans, but when you're a vampire, it's even more challenging. Edgar rises to the occasion with wit, humor, and some help from his friends.
Publication Date: 05/13/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Hetty and the Yeti
Jules Burnett
Synopsis: When schoolgirl Hetty is magically transported to Tibet, high in the Himalayan Mountains, she comes face to face with the Giant Yeti! But is the Yeti really the terrifying beast of legend? Can Hetty prevent the colossal creature from causing chaos in the city centre? And what is the connection with Hetty and the ghostly lady that haunts the Himalayan Hills? Hetty embarks on a journey that will take her across the world, back in time and one that will change her life forever.
Publication Date: 05/08/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Horizon
Jenn Reese
Synopsis: In this third and final adventure in the Above World series, Aluna and her friends finally face their most terrifying enemy, Karl Strand.

Aluna and Hoku, Kampii from the City of Shifting Tides, and their friends, Equian Dash and winged Aviar Calli, are determined to stop a war. The maniacal ex-scientist Karl Strand is planning to conquer the world with his enormous army of tech-enhanced soldiers . . . unless the four friends can get to Strand first. Aluna’s plan is dangerous: pose as Upgraders and infiltrate the army. But the enemy isn’t what they expected and the strategy begins to crumble. When the friends are torn apart by conflicting allegiances, their slim chance of avoiding war seems to disappear completely. For Aluna and Hoku, what began as a quest to save their own people has become a mission to save the world. But do Aluna and her friends have any hope of defeating Strand if they can’t take him on together?
Publication Date: 04/08/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Children of the King
Sonya Hartnett
Synopsis: Internationally acclaimed author Sonya Hartnett tells a hauntingly beautiful story set during World War II.

Cecily and Jeremy have been sent to live with their uncle Peregrine in the English countryside, safe from the war, along with a young refugee named May. But when Cecily and May find two mysterious boys hiding in the ruins of a nearby castle, an extraordinary adventure begins.
Publication Date: 03/25/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Caminar
Skila Brown
Synopsis: Set in 1981 Guatemala, a lyrical debut novel tells the powerful tale of a boy who must decide what it means to be a man during a time of war.

Carlos knows that when the soldiers arrive with warnings about the Communist rebels, it is time to be a man and defend the village, keep everyone safe. But Mama tells him not yet — he’s still her quiet moonfaced boy. The soldiers laugh at the villagers, and before they move on, a neighbor is found dangling from a tree, a sign on his neck: Communist. Mama tells Carlos to run and hide, then try to find her. . . . Numb and alone, he must join a band of guerillas as they trek to the top of the mountain where Carlos’s abuela lives. Will he be in time, and brave enough, to warn them about the soldiers? What will he do then? A novel in verse inspired by actual events during Guatemala’s civil war, Caminar is the moving story of a boy who loses nearly everything before discovering who he really is.
Publication Date: 03/25/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Growing Up Dead
Chelsea M. Campbell
Synopsis: For Nox, being a vampire in junior high wouldn't be so bad if a) vampires still had super strength, b) his mom would let him play his guitar in the house, and c) the werewolf girl of his dreams would notice he's alive. Nox's life is over when Chug the Thug, a troll who can smell fear and lunch money from three miles away, gets his hands on a picture of Nox's crush. The same picture Nox drew hearts all over and wrote "Nox and Lila forever" on. If Nox can't cough up fifty bucks by Friday, Chug's going public. Worse, when the Battle of the Bands venue says they won't allow vampires, due to recent unsolved vamp-related violence, Nox discovers his "friends" have no problem replacing him… with his crush. Now Nox has less than a week to thwart Chug, solve a mystery, and get back in the band. But when reclaiming his role as rock-star-to-be means hurting the girl he loves, what's a teenage vamp to do?
Publication Date: 03/06/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Tramp: A Detective's Story
Synopsis: The world's best dog detective can't be taught his sleuthing skills. They are in his genes passed down through the generations. Tramp realizes this after he is taken forcefully from his home and put up for sale in the neighborhood pet store. He makes friends with an assortment of very smart animals and yes, a human family that loves him. He soon discovers that with the help of the animals and the humans in his life he can solve the most intricate of mysteries.
Publication Date: 03/01/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Timmy Failure: Now Look What You've Done
Stephan Pastis, Stephan Pastis
Synopsis: The clueless, comically self-confident kid detective returns in a sequel to the New York Times bestseller Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made.

"When you lose hope, find it." —Timmy Failure

He doesn’t like to pull rank. To reveal that he’s this guy: Timmy Failure, founder, president, and CEO of the greatest detective agency in town, perhaps the nation. But he is.

And he’s about to crack the biggest case of his generation: a school competition to find a stolen globe. It’s his ticket to bringing home a $500 prize, which is guaranteed to set him up for life. But someone is clearly trying to game the system. Hoodwink. Con. Defraud. So it’s up to Timmy Failure, with the dubious help of Total, his lazy polar-bear partner, and his unlikely new ally, eccentric Great-Aunt Colander, to find a way to avenge these shenanigans. Defeat this injustice.
If he can only get his entry form in on time.
Publication Date: 02/25/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Lord and Lady Bunny--Almost Royalty!
Sophie Blackall, Polly Horvath
Synopsis: This hilarious sequel to Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Detectives Extraordinaire! is a bunny-rific "tail" that even includes a guest appearance by J. K. Rowling a.k.a. "Oldwhatshername". 

Madeleine wants nothing more than to save money for college, but her impractical, ex-hippie parents are broke. When the family unexpectedly inherits a sweet shoppe in England that has the potential to earn serious profit, they see an answer to all their problems. . . . Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—formerly of the detecting persuasion—are looking for new professions, and Mrs. Bunny decides she would like to be Queen. Soon they, too, are headed across the pond. Brought to you by National Book Award-winning author Polly Horvath and Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator Sophie Blackall, the adventures of Madeleine and the Bunnys are zanier than ever.
Publication Date: 02/11/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Road Trip
Jim Paulsen, Gary Paulsen
Synopsis: A summer adventure you'll never forget, from a beloved Newbery Honor winning author!

Dad and Ben haven't been getting along lately, and Dad hopes a road trip to rescue a border collie will help them reconnect. But Ben is on to Dad's scheme, and he's got ideas of his own. Like inviting his buddy, Theo, who's sure to get into fun (and trouble) along the way. And if Dad wants a family road trip, then the family dog, Atticus, should get to come, too. What could go wrong?

But when their truck breaks down, the family trip takes plenty of unexpected turns. Before they know it, they've commandeered an old school bus and joined forces with its cranky mechanic, Gus. Next, they pick up Mia, a waitress escaping a tense situation. Only sharp-eyed Atticus realizes that Theo is on the run from something bad—and someone is following them. 

With alternating chapters from both Ben and his dog, Atticus, this fast-paced book takes readers on an unpredictable ride that's all about family, friendship, and surprises.
Publication Date: 01/07/14
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck, Book 8
Synopsis: Greg Heffley's on a losing streak. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson, has ditched him, and finding new friends in middle school is proving to be a tough task. To change his fortunes, Greg decides to take a leap of faith and turn his decisions over to chance. Will a roll of the dice turn things around, or is Greg's life destined to be just another hard-luck story?  
Publication Date: 11/05/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Creature Department
Framestore, Robert Paul Weston
Synopsis: “Stunning…a bit like if you took Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Monsters Inc. and shoved them in a TARDIS.” --Buzzfeed
 It’s a tentacled, inventive, gooey, world in there. . . .

Elliot Von Doppler and his friend Leslie think nothing ever happens in Bickleburgh, except inside the gleaming headquarters of DENKi-3000—the world’s eighth-largest electronics factory.
 
Beneath the glass towers and glittering skywalks, there's a rambling old mansion from which all the company’s amazing inventions spring forth. And no one except Uncle Archie knows what’s behind the second-to-last door at the end of the hall.

Until Elliot and Leslie are invited to take a glimpse inside.

They find stooped, troll-like creatures with jutting jaws and broken teeth. Tiny winged things that sparkle as they fly. And huge, hulking, hairy nonhumans (with horns). It is unlike anything they’ve ever seen.

But when Chuck Brickweather threatens to shut down the DENKi-3000 factory if a new product isn’t presented soon, the creatures know they are in danger. And when Uncle Archie vanishes, it’s up to Elliot, Leslie, and every one of the unusual, er, “employees” to create an invention so astonishing it will save the Creature Department.
Publication Date: 11/05/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Mom Made Us Write This In The Summer
Joanna Robinson, Ali Maier
Synopsis:

A sister and brother, forced to write in the summer, and share ONE journal?

This is exactly what happens to 10-year-old twins Maggie and Max Pruitt.

When Mom comes up with a plan for them to keep a summer journal, Maggie and Max can t believe it. Worse yet, they have to share!

Through their writing, Maggie and Max find out they have very different (and hilarious) views about growing up, family and life a conclusion they only discovered because, as Max and Maggie say, Mom Made Us Write This.

Publication Date: 10/15/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Archon
Lana Krumwiede
Synopsis: As the powerless and the powerful clash, allies and enemies are not always who they seem to be in this dynamic sequel to the dystopian novel Freakling.

Having used his unique connection with the Heart of the Earth to terminate the use of psi, or telekinesis, in the secluded city of Deliverance, twelve-year-old Taemon bears the burden of responsibility for the fate of its people. With society in disarray, his family missing, and tensions looming with the mysterious Republik, Taemon confronts the startling discovery that he alone can still use psi — and that it comes with a price. In an attempt to find his father and prevent war, Taemon and his friend Amma set out on a dangerous journey to the Republik. But what they find there is far from what they expected, and Taemon’s understanding of the world is challenged. Will his psi and his courage be enough to conquer the obstacles standing in the way of peace?
Publication Date: 10/08/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
All That's Missing
Sarah Sullivan
Synopsis: When his grandfather’s dementia raises the specter of foster care, Arlo flees to find his only other family member in this genuine, heartening novel.

Arlo’s grandfather travels in time. Not literally — he just mixes up the past with the present. Arlo holds on as best he can, fixing himself cornflakes for dinner and paying back the owner of the corner store for the sausages Poppo eats without remembering to pay. But how long before someone finds out that Arlo is taking care of the grandfather he lives with instead of the other way around? When Poppo lands in the hospital and a social worker comes to take charge, Arlo’s fear of foster care sends him alone across three hundred miles. Armed with a name and a town, Arlo finds his only other family member — the grandmother he doesn’t remember ever meeting. But just finding her isn’t enough to make them a family. Unfailingly honest and touched with a dash of magical realism, Sarah Sullivan’s evocative debut novel delves into a family mystery and unearths universal truths about home, trust, friendship, and strength — all the things a boy needs.
Publication Date: 10/08/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

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