Synopsis: For fourteen-year-old Tommy Black, nothing is worse than being raised by an overprotective grandfather in the city that never sleeps. That is until his grandfather is captured by magical creatures and Tommy has to save him with his family's magical staff.

That wouldn't be so bad, but the only magic he can do with the staff is weak--making light. What the heck can you do with light? 

Tommy finds out as he fights golems, shadow creatures, and djinn in a journey that features a magical river, an enchanted train, and an illusionary fortress. But the worst part of all? Tommy has to save his grandfather with the help of Naomi, a girl whose talent with magic is only rivaled by her ability to hurl insults.

In this novel full of action and adventure, Tommy Black continues the tradition of young heroes finding their place in a formerly unknown magical world. Like Harry Potter, Tommy has a magical legacy thrust upon him from out of nowhere. He must not only understand this responsibility but the forces that are suddenly arrayed against him. Like Percy Jackson, mythology is plays a central role. And like both heroes, one of Tommy's best friends is a strong independent girl, who is a valuable ally while being headstrong and often difficult. 

From Nebula, Sturgeon, and Million Writers Award nominee Jake Kerr comes the Tommy Black trilogy, an action adventure series for boys, girls, and readers of all ages.

Synopsis: In The Terminals, Royce Buckingham tells the riveting story of a covert team of young, terminally ill teens who spend their last year alive running dangerous missions as super-spies for an organization that may not be all it seems.

When 19 year-old Cam Cody is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he expects to spend the rest of his shortened life in an adjustable bed. Then one night, a mysterious man offers Cam one chance to join a covert unit of young "terminals." They are like him, only they spend the last year of their lives executing exciting and dangerous missions to make the world a better place.

With nothing to lose, Cam is in.

A helicopter flies Cam to a secret tropical location, where he's tossed out with a parachute and an instruction manual. After a rough landing, he meets his nine teammates. The other terminals don't seem sick; Zara is beautiful, Donnie is an amazing athlete, and Calliope sings like a bird. He soon learns that they're enhanced with an experimental super steroid TS-8, which suppresses their illnesses' symptoms and heightens their physical and mental abilities. It's also fatal if taken for more than a year.

Cam joins this extreme spy team, and they begin pulling dangerous operations in multiple countries. As his teammates fall around him, he starts to receive cryptic messages from a haggard survivor of last year's class hiding in the forest. She reveals that the program isn't what it claims to be...


For any YA lover of The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, or a much less graphic Kingsman - The Secret Service, this is definitely one to check out!

Synopsis: The thrilling conclusion to The Skylark Trilogy: Revolution is brewing in the city within the Wall. The city stands divided, and war is imminent. The rebels need a leader. After months beyond the Wall, Lark returns with Owen by her side, prepared to overthrow the Institute once and for all. But Lark's triumphant homecoming is short-lived when another leader emerges to unite the rebels: Eve, a mysterious Renewable. Lark wonders if Eve's powers will bring them strength—or bring humanity's final downfall.

Synopsis: " The True Secrets of the Greaser HotelThe Greaser Hotel is an eyesore even by eyesores’ standards. A long forgotten place, it sits dilapidated and mostly vacant amid a sea of Baltimore vacancies. But this building, this former lap of luxury, is much more than it appears. The Greaser Hotel is a place of magic and of secrets peopled by masters of secret-keeping. And soon, for one kidnapped little girl―Allie to her friends and Allie Rat to her kidnappers― it’s about to become a place of the past.In a world of deep friendships, powerful magic, wicked deceptions, and devilish crime, a young girl must fight for her freedom and wrestle with the frightening truths of her past.Early Praise for a Very Special Book""The Mystery of the Greaser Hotel is an Industrial-Gothic fantasy thriller that kept me turning pages late into the night. J. Scott Fuqua’s finely-drawn pencil illustrations capture his characters and the setting with creepiness and élan.""? PAUL O. ZELINSKY, WORLD FAMOUS AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR, RECEIVED THE CALDECOTT MEDAL FOR RAPUNZEL, AND CALDECOTT HONORS FOR: HANSEL AND GRETEL, RUMPELSTILTSKIN, AND SWAMP ANGEL“When evil commerce, dangerous magic, and shape-shifting felines converge, readers have the determined and dedicated guidance of the heroine, Miss Allie Argos, to take them on a heart-stopping adventure to right the wrongs long forgotten by many. Mr. Fuqua’s dark, edgy, yet delightfully whimsical pencil and ink drawings, spread liberally throughout the book, not only compliment this story, but are accompanied by moments of levity and humor during some of the story’s darker, more troubling situations. You'll be rooting for Allie (a terrific cross between little Orphan Annie and Katniss Everdeen) and her colorful assortment of heroes from page one right on through the sequel, which I’m very much looking forward to!”?DAVID L. PATERSON, AWARD-WINNING SCREENWRITER OF BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA; LOVE, LUDLOW; OPEN AIR; AND THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS (COMING SOON)About the AuthorJ. Scott Fuqua is the author of four multi award-winning young adult novels (The Reappearance of Sam Webber, Darby, The Willoughby Spit Wonder, and King of the Pygmies). He has also written two highly acclaimed literary novels (In the Wake of the Boatman, and Gone and Back Again) and the award-winning graphic novel In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe.He’s penned and illustrated a children’s book on the history of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. For elementary students, he wrote the graphic chapter book Catie and Josephine.His most recent children’s book, Calvert the Raven in the Battle of Baltimore, was the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival Selection for Maryland as well as Maryland’s Center for the Book’s 2013 Selection for kids, and has been written into the Maryland State elementary school social studies curriculum.Born in Germany, Scott grew up and went to college in Virginia (College of William & Mary) before moving to Baltimore, MD as an adult, and has been here ever since, living with his wife and two children. He teaches at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), including his new specialty, Illustrated Narratives.

Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old Kirin Rise doesn't look like a hero. Short and scrawny, she's not the type to strike fear into anyone, much less the brutes that make up the United Federation of Mixed Fighting. Despite her size, she spent her youth secretly training with her Sifu in the art of Wing Chun Gung Fu. What's more, Kirin has something that many people in 2032 seem to have lost-a conscience. Enraged by government corruption and corporate greed, Kirin sets out to do something about it in the most unlikely place: the weekly bloodbath known as Chum Night. With the guidance of her Sifu and the help of those who love her, she just might survive. Kirin Rise: The Cast of Shadows is the story of a young woman struggling against the apathy of a nation in her drive to make the world a better place.

Synopsis: Second novel in EC Blake's dystopian fantasy Masks of Aygrima series

In Masks, Mara Holdfast's life changed forever. As the daughter of the Autarch’s Master Maskmaker, she had a clearly defined future: a quiet, ordered life in the capital, making Masks with her father and doing work important to the ruling Autarch.

But when her Mask, specially made by her own father, cracked and fell to pieces during her Masking ceremony, Mara was exiled from everything she once knew.

Now she has become part of an underground rebellion, rejecting the unjust rules of a Masked society. She must try to understand her unprecedented ability to use all types of magic—and to tear magic from the living bodies of those around her. But Mara has yet to discover just how horrifying her power can be….