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Breathless
Lurlene McDaniel
Synopsis: This moving and charged novel by Lurlene McDaniel, the bestselling author of inspirational fiction for young adults, presents ethical as well as moral dilemmas and explores the harsh reality of making a choice that, once made, can never be undone.
 
Travis Morrison knows how good his life is. He’s a champion diver and one of the most popular kids at school. He has Darla, the girl he loves; Emily, his kid sister, whom he actually doesn’t mind hanging out with; and Cooper, his best friend.
On the first day of summer vacation, all four go boating on the lake, and everything feels perfect. They cut the motor and drift toward their favorite spot, where cliffs abound—nature at its finest. Travis’s friends ask him not to try the diving stunt, but he can’t resist a challenge.

Travis’s silly stunt dive goes wrong, and he fears he has broken his leg. Instead, his trip to the hospital reveals devastating news. In an instant, Travis’s life and the lives of everyone around him are forever changed.

Travis understands that his parents believe they’re doing what’s best for him. But he’s always been sure of himself, and he’s sure of one thing now—that he and only he should decide the course of his life. He has a plan, but he can’t carry it out alone. How will he convince the three people he feels he can count on most to help him? And when things get even worse, who will fulfill his most important request?

In this honest and probing novel, Lurlene McDaniel tackles a controversial subject, sensitively exploring the issues of personal choice and quality of life, and poignantly reminding readers that every individual deserves to be treated with dignity.
Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Kid Table
Andrea Seigel
Synopsis:

Ingrid Bell and her five teenage cousins are such a close-knit group that they don't really mind sitting at the kid table―even if they have to share it with a four-year-old. But then Brianne, the oldest cousin, lands a seat at the adult table and leaves her cousins shocked and confused. What does it take to graduate from the kid table?

Over the course of five family events, Ingrid chronicles the coming-of-age of her generation. Her cousins each grapple with growing pains, but it is Ingrid who truly struggles as she considers what it means to grow up. When first love comes in the form of first betrayal (he's Brianne's boyfriend), Ingrid is forced to question her own personality and how she fits into her family. The cousins each take their own path toward graduating into adulthood―only to realize that maybe the kid table was where they wanted to be all along.

Almost a reverse coming-of-age, this touching and hilariously funny novel will appeal to any reader who has sat at the kid table . . . or is still sitting there!

Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Dark Water
Laura McNeal
Synopsis: A National Book Award Finalist
A Kirkus Reviews Best Books for Teens

Fifteen-year-old Pearl DeWitt lives in Fallbrook, California, where it's sunny 340 days of the year, and where her uncle owns a grove of 900 avocado trees. Uncle Hoyt hires migrant workers regularly, but Pearl doesn't pay much attention to them...until Amiel. From the moment she sees him, Pearl is drawn to this boy who keeps to himself, fears being caught by la migra, and is mysteriously unable to talk.

Then the wildfires strike.
Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Firelight
Sophie Jordan
Synopsis:

The first book in an addictive, romantic trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan is perfect for fans of Laini Taylor, Tahereh Mafi, and Claudia Gray.

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms.

But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness forces her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is the gorgeous, elusive Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide, from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan.

Publication Date: 09/07/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall
Mary Downing Hahn
Synopsis:

When twelve-year-old Florence boards the crowded horse-drawn coach in London, she looks forward to a new life with her great uncle and aunt at Crutchfield Hall, an old manor house in the English countryside. Anything will be better, she thinks, than the grim London orphanage where she has lived since her parents' death.
          But Florence doesn't expect the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who haunts the cavernous rooms and dimly lit hallways of Crutchfield and concocts a plan to use Florence to help her achieve her murderous goals. Will Florence be able to convince the others in the household of the imminent danger and stop Sophia before it's too late?

Publication Date: 09/06/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Payback Time
Carl Deuker
Synopsis: Through the eyes of a distinctly non-athletic protagonist—a fat high school journalist named Mitch—veteran sports novelist Deuker reveals the surprising truth behind a mysterious football player named Angel.  When Angel shows up Lincoln High, he seems to have no past—or at least not one he is willing to discuss.  Though Mitch gets a glimpse of Angel's incredible talent off the field, Angel rarely allows himself to shine on the field.  Is he an undercover cop, wonders Mitch?  Or an ineligible player?  In pursuit of a killer story, Mitch decides to find out just who this player is and what he's done.  In the end, the truth surprises everyone.
Publication Date: 09/06/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Conspiracy 365: September
Gabrielle Lord
Synopsis: With his little sister still missing, Callum Ormond believes that his enemy Oriana is behind the kidnapping.
Publication Date: 09/01/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Scorpion Sting
D'Ath Justin
Synopsis:
Publication Date: 09/01/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Absolute Valve of -1
Steve Brezenoff
Synopsis: Noah, Lily, and Simon have been a trio forever. But as they enter high school, their relationships shift and their world starts to fall apart. Privately, each is dealing with a family crisis divorce, abuse, and a parent's illness. Yet, as they try to escape the pain and reach out for the connections they once counted on, they slip like soap in a shower. Noah's got it bad for Lily, but he knows too well that Lily sees only Simon. Simon is indifferent, suddenly inscrutable to friends. All stand alone in their heartache and grief.
Publication Date: 09/01/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Ascendant
Diana Peterfreund
Synopsis:

Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns. The fluffy, sparkly, friendly “horses” so popular the world over don’t exist. Real unicorns are killers. Don't miss book 2 in the thrilling Killer Unicorn series!

Beasts the size of elephants, with cloven hooves that shake the earth, hides impervious to bullets, and horns that contain a deadly poison, unicorns can outrun a sports car and smell a human from a mile away.

And they can only be killed by virgin warriors descended from Alexander the Great.

Astrid Llewelyn is now a fully trained unicorn hunter, but she can't solve all her problems with just a bow and arrow. Her boyfriend, Giovanni, has decided to leave Rome, the Cloisters is in dire financial straits, her best friend's powers are mysteriously disintegrating, and Astrid can't help but feel that school, home, and her hopes of becoming a scientist are impossible dreams.

So when she's given the opportunity to leave the Cloisters and put her skills to use as part of a scientific quest to discover the Remedy, Astrid leaps at the chance. Finally, she can have exactly what she wants—or can she?

At Gordian headquarters in the French countryside, Astrid begins to question everything she thought she believed: her love for Giovanni, her loyalty to the Cloisters, and—most of all—her duty as a hunter.

Should Astrid be saving the world from killer unicorns, or saving the unicorns from the world?

Publication Date: 09/01/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Shark Bait
Justin D'Ath
Synopsis:

'Suddenly I was back in the blurry green undersea world. And the shark was there, too. Coming straight at me. Fast!'

Sam Fox is on holidays at the Great Barrier Reef when he and a young Japanese tourist are swept off a coral shelf by a freak wave. Before they know it, a strong current has pushed them out into open water. First Sam must fight to keep himself and his new friend from drowning; then, as night falls over the inky black ocean, the underwater predators start moving in . . .

An action-packed rollercoaster ride, Shark Bait is the most thrilling (and scary) Extreme Adventure yet!

Visit puffin.com.au/extreme for more.

Publication Date: 09/01/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Lila and Ecco's Do-it-yourself Comics Club
Willow Dawson, Willow Dawson
Synopsis: Twelve-year-olds Lila and Ecco are obsessed with comics. Every summer, they dress up as their favorite characters to attend the local comic book convention. This year, after they stumble into a workshop of comics creators, Lila and Ecco come to an exciting realization -- they can make their very own comic books! Join Lila and Ecco as they embark on their exciting and rewarding do-it-yourself adventure. Along the way, readers will see how comics can be used to share stories with their friends and say what they want to say. They'll also learn how to harness ideas and inspiration; create believable characters and stories; illustrate motion, suspense and time passing; tips and step-by-step instructions on inking, coloring, lettering, cover art and design, binding comics and much, much more.
Publication Date: 09/01/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Songs For a Teenage Nomad
Kim Culbertson
Synopsis:

"So engrossing, so transporting, so moving, I didn't want it to end! A beautiful, lyrical read-I loved every last word of it!"
-Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Immortals series

What is the soundtrack of your life?

After living in twelve places in eight years, Calle Smith finds herself in Andreas Bay, California, at the start of ninth grade. Another new home, another new school...Calle knows better than to put down roots. Her song journal keeps her moving to her own soundtrack, bouncing through a world best kept at a distance.

Yet before she knows it, friends creep in-as does an unlikely boy with a secret. Calle is torn over what may be her first chance at love. With all that she's hiding and all that she wants, can she find something lasting beyond music? And will she ever discover why she and her mother have been running in the first place?

"Songs for a Teenage Nomad will send you searching for songs with meaning for the major events of your own life."
-Cindy Hudson, author of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs.

"The best kind of song takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. It makes you think. You find yourself humming and pondering it for days. Songs for a Teenage Nomad does the book version of this. It's an unforgettable story that music lovers in particular will appreciate, but every teenager trying to find their place in the world should read."
-Stephanie Kuehnert, author of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramoneand Ballads of Suburbia

Publication Date: 09/01/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Law of Nines
Terry Goodkind
Synopsis: Turning twenty-seven may be terrifying for some, but for Alex, a struggling artist living in the Midwest, it is cataclysmic. Something about this birthday, his name, and the beautiful woman whose life he has just saved has suddenly made him-and everyone he loves-a target. A target for extreme and uncompromising violence...

Publication Date: 08/31/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
As You Wish
Jackson Pearce
Synopsis:

Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—for someone to love her again and, most important, to belong again—until her wishes inadvertently summon a genie named Jinn out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.

Jackson Pearce spins a magical tale about star-crossed lovers, what it means to belong . . . and how important it is to be careful what you wish for.

Publication Date: 08/31/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Dreams of the Dead
Thomas Randall
Synopsis:

When Kara Foster starts her new school in Japan, she has no idea she's about to confront an ancient evil. But before long, Kara begins to have nightmares, and soon students turn up dead, viciously attacked by someone . . . or something.

As Kara makes friends, she learns that there are secrets haunting the student body. Is the spirit of a murdered girl seeking revenge? Or is the culprit more ancient and terrifying than an American outsider can understand? A spooky new edition welcomes teen horror fans to the first book in this riveting series.

Publication Date: 08/31/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction

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