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The Hollow
Jessica Verday
Synopsis: When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead…and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

“Spectacular! The Hollow keeps you reading from beginning to end without coming up for air.” --L.J. Smith, bestselling author of The Vampire Diaries and Night World
Publication Date: 09/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
ISIS
Perseus
Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Douglas Clegg brings us Isis, a beautifully illustrated, unforgettable novella that is sure to become a classic tale of the supernatural.

If you lost someone you loved, what would you pay to bring them back from the dead?

Old Marsh, the gardener at Belerion Hall, warned the Villiers girl about the old ruins along the sea-cliffs. “Never go in, miss. Never say a prayer at its door. If you are angry, do not seek revenge by the Laughing Maiden stone or at the threshold of the Tombs. There be those who listen for oaths and vows….What may be said in innocence becomes flesh and blood in such places.”

She was born Iris Catherine Villiers. She became Isis.

From childhood until her sixteenth year, Iris Villiers wandered the stone-hedged gardens and the steep cliffs along the coast of Cornwall near her ancestral home. Surrounded by the stern judgments of her grandfather—the Gray Minister—and the taunts of her cruel governess, Iris finds solace in her beloved older brother who has always protected her. But when a tragic accident occurs from the ledge of an open window, Iris discovers that she possesses the ability to speak to the dead...

Be careful what you wish for…it just may find you.

 

Publication Date: 09/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Shattered
Kathi Baron
Synopsis: Teen violin prodigy Cassie has been tiptoeing around her father, whose moods have become increasingly explosive. After he destroys her beloved and valuable violin, Cassie, shocked, runs away, eventually seeking refuge in a homeless shelter. She later learns that her father, a former violinist, was physically beaten as a child by her grandfather, a painful secret he's kept hidden from his family, and the cause of his violent outbursts. With all of their lives shattered in some way, Cassie's family must struggle to repair their broken relationships. As Cassie moves forward, she ultimately finds a way to help others, having developed compassion through her own painful experiences. Written in lyrical prose, Shattered tells the moving story of how one girl finds inner strength through music.
Publication Date: 09/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Sweetheart of Prosper County
Synopsis:

Almost-15-year-old Austin Gray is tired of standing at the curb and watching the parade pass her by. Literally. She decides this is the year she’ll ride on the hood of a shiny pickup truck in the annual parade, waving to the crowd and finally showing the town bully that she’s got what it takes to be the Sweetheart of Prosper County.

 

But far from simply being a beauty contest, becoming Sweetheart involves participation in the Future Farmers of America (FFA), raising an animal, and hunting or fishing. Austin will do almost anything to become Sweetheart, and has the support of her oldest friend, Maribel, her new FFA friends (including the reigning Sweetheart, and a quiet, cute cowboy), an evangelical Elvis impersonator, a mysterious Cajun outcast, and a rooster named Charles Dickens. If only her momma would stop overprotecting her, and start letting Austin live her own life. But Austin can’t move on until Momma moves on, too—and lets the grief of losing Austin’s daddy several years before out into the open.

 

Here is a bighearted story that will leave readers agreeing with Austin that sometimes, it’s not what you ride, it’s how you roll.

Publication Date: 09/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Everything For A Dog
Ann M. Martin
Synopsis:

In this companion to her acclaimed 2005 novel, A Dog's Life, Ann M. Martin tells the parallel stories of a stray dog (the brother of the dog featured in A Dog's Life), a boy dealing with unspeakable loss, and a boy whose most ardent wish is to own a dog―and everything for a dog.

Bone and his sister, Squirrel, are stray dogs born in a shed. Left motherless as puppies, the two dogs survive together for a while, but are soon wrenched apart. Bone doesn't know if his sister is still alive, and must now go on, alone.

Charlie is a boy who has suffered a terrible loss. And, as he's healing with the help of his dog, another tragedy occurs.

Henry's best friend has moved away. All Henry has wanted is a dog of his own. But his parents won't let him.

Bone, Charlie, and Henry live very different lives, but they are fated to intersect in surprising ways. Award-winning author Ann M. Martin has written a powerful, heartfelt novel that's perfect for anyone who has ever longed for a dog, or loved one.

Publication Date: 09/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Cat Burglar Black
Richard Sala, Richard Sala
Synopsis:

K. Westree: Teen Cat Burglar

When K. Westree arrives at Bellsong Academy, she thinks she's left her cat-burgling past behind her. But K. soon discovers the school has a mystery of its own, a hidden treasure left behind by its founder, and she's the only one who has a hope of finding it. As she resumes her cat-burgling in an attempt to discover the school's secrets, K. begins to question if a normal life is really what she wants.

Publication Date: 09/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Urban Falcon
Jennifer Caloyeras
Synopsis: This is not how it was supposed be. Evan was all set to finish his high school years at Elbow Creek High, pursuing his passion for photography in the small town where he grew up. But mid-junior year, his Dad's job forced the family to move to Lincoln Heights, a booming metropolis - a city one could get lost in. Now his best friend Denny won't even talk to him and something suspicious is going on with his Mom. When Evan's worst fears are confirmed, he starts acting out in ways he never thought possible. Caught between who he used to be and the possibility of who he could become, he's thrown into a world of dating, out of control parties and family drama. Evan Falcon learns more about himself than he ever though possible.
Publication Date: 09/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Qualities Of Light
Mary Carroll Moore
Synopsis: "Explores the budding of unexpected romance in the face of family tragedy, the forging of a new relationship between a daughter and her gifted, difficult parents, and an adolescent girl's confrontation with her own qualities of light and darkness." -- taken from back cover.
Publication Date: 08/25/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Ninja Girls
Hosana Tanaka
Synopsis: NINJA LOVE!

The horn growing from Raizo’s forehead is proof that he’s the lost illegitimate son of the once-mighty Katana family. Now a band of loyal and lovely female ninjas devises a scheme to elevate their newfound master to greatness. But does this shy outcast have what it takes to rule the kingdom and deal with a bevy of beautiful ninja girls?

Includes special extras after the story!
Publication Date: 08/25/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Four-Eyed Prince
Wataru Mizukami
Synopsis: SECRET CRUSH

Sachiko is wildly attracted to the quiet, cool Akihiko, the “Four-Eyed Prince.” But now they’ve become siblings by marriage–and must live under the same roof, as brother and sister! And if that isn’t bad enough, it turns out that Akihiko is hiding a surprise behind those nerdy glasses.

Includes special extras after the story!
Publication Date: 08/25/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Stone Child
Dan Poblocki
Synopsis: What if the monsters from your favorite horror books were real?

Eddie Fennicks has always been a loner, content to lose himself in a mystery novel by his favorite author, Nathaniel Olmstead. That’s why moving to the small town of Gatesweed becomes a dream come true when Eddie discovers that Olmstead lived there before mysteriously disappearing thirteen years ago. Even better, Eddie finds a handwritten, never-before-seen Nathaniel Olmstead book printed in code and befriends Harris, who’s as much an Olmsteady as he is. But then the frightening creatures of Olmstead’s books begin to show up in real life, and Eddie’s dream turns into a nightmare. Eddie, Harris, and their new friend, Maggie, must break Olmstead’s code, banish all gremlins and monster lake-dogs from the town of Gatesweed, and solve the mystery of the missing author, all before Eddie’s mom finishes
writing her own tale of terror and brings to life the scariest creature of all.
Publication Date: 08/25/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Gone From These Woods
Donny Bailey Seagraves
Synopsis: I didn't want to go hunting with Uncle Clay that morning. Now I have to live with what happened for the rest of my life. It was just an accident. The rabbit ran away. Clay fell.

Nothing has been the same for Daniel since that morning in the woods when Uncle Clay went down. Mom tries to hold the family together. Mrs. Hardy, Daniel’s guidance counselor, tries to help Daniel after he loses his role model and best friend. Daniel’s alcoholic father just makes the situation worse. The memory of that cold morning will stay with Daniel forever. But somehow, he must find a way to go on . . . for Uncle Clay . . . and most of all, for himself.
Publication Date: 08/25/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Love is the Higher Law
David Levithan
Synopsis: Bestselling author David Levithan (Every Day; Boy Meets Boy; Will Grayson, Will Grayson with John Green) treats the tragic events of September 11th with care and compassion in this novel of loss and grief, but also of hope and redemption.
 
First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . .

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption aAs histhe characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever, one rule remains: love is indeed the higher law.
 
A MARGARET A. EDWARDS AWARD WINNER
Publication Date: 08/25/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Star Trek: The Never-ending Sacrifice
Synopsis:
Continuing the post-television Deep Space Nine saga, this original novel shows the fall of the Cardassian empire as seen through the eyes of a young man with a foot in two worlds.

Rugal is an orphaned Cardassian who has been raised by the people his race once conquered, the Bajorans. Reluctantly repatriated to Cardassia as a teenager, Rugal becomes the living witness to the downfall of the proud people to whom he was born, first by the invading Klingons, then during the Cardassians’ unholy pact with the Dominion—a partnership that culminated in a near-genocide. Through it all, Rugal’s singular perspective illuminates the choices that brought the Cardassians to their ruin...even as he learns that the Cardassian soul is not as easy to understand as he imagined.
Publication Date: 08/25/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Diary of a Witness
Catherine Ryan Hyde
Synopsis: One day, something’s going to snap. . . .

Ernie doesn't have a lot of friends at school. Just Will. They have stuff in common—like fishing. But more important, they have common enemies: the school jocks, who seem to find bullying just another sport.

For the most part, Ernie and Will take life at high school in stride. Until Will has one very bad day. Now nothing is remotely funny. Ernie finds himself a witness—to loss, to humiliation, and to Will’s anger—an anger that’s building each and every moment.

Ernie doesn’t want to believe his best friend is changing, but he can’t deny the truth. Soon he has a choice: join or die. Or can he find another way?

Praise for The Day I Killed James:
“Teens who have experienced crushing rejection or who have laughed at the ardent feelings of a classmate will devour this original, gripping story.”—Kirkus Reviews
Publication Date: 08/25/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Recycler
Lauren McLaughlin
Synopsis: How do you grow up, if who you are keeps changing?

Jill McTeague is not your average high school graduate, she’s a scientific anomaly. Every month for four days she turns into Jack, a guy—complete with all the parts. Now everyone in her hometown knows that something very weird is up with her. So what’s a girl (and a guy) to do? Get the heck out of town, that’s what! With her kooky best friend, Ramie, Jill sets out for New York City. There both she and Jack will have to figure out everything from the usual (relationships) to the not so usual (career options for a “cycler,” anyone?).

As in Cycler, the first book featuring Jack and Jill, author Lauren McLaughlin deftly weaves the downright mundane with the outright bizarre in a story that, while defying classification, is peopled with characters that readers can fully relate to.

“The sort of book that makes your eyes widen and that you don’t want to put down.”—Bookavore
Publication Date: 08/25/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction

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