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Freefall
Ariela Anhalt
Synopsis:

Luke was not eager to accompany his best friend, Hayden, and the cocky new kid, Russell, up to the cliff that night. The plan was to watch Russell jump off the cliff into the lake--his initiation to the Briar Academy fencing team. But instead, after an angry confrontation with Hayden, Russell falls to his death.     

     Now Hayden is in jail and the pressure is on Luke to report what he saw. But what did he see? An accident--or a murder? Luke has always followed Hayden's lead, but this is one decision he'll be forced to make on his own. And to do it, he must face the truth about his friendship with Hayden and his own painful past.

     This suspenseful and scandalous tale of rivalry, peer pressure, and finding the courage to take responsibility will have an impact on readers long after the last page.

Publication Date: 01/18/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Counterfeit Son
Elaine Marie Alphin
Synopsis: Cameron Miller is pretending to be someone he isn't. When he began presenting himself as Neil Lacey, it was the only way he could think of to distance himself from what Pop had done, to finally climb out of his nightmarish existence. He thought it would be easy--playing the rich kid, sailing his boat--but he didn't count on Cougar. Now Cougar, his father's old accomplice, has tracked Cameron down and presented an ultimatum: Share the wealth or be exposed. Will Cameron give up his new identity to protect Neil's family? Or will he let his search for a new life destroy those around him?
Publication Date: 01/18/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Growing Wings
Laurel Winter
Synopsis: "Linnet waited with her eyes closed for the door to open and her mother to peek in. Waited for her to touch Linnet's shoulder blades lightly...Linnet knew that touch in her bones, as if it had happened every night of her life. An imprint, a memory of the skin itself."

So begins this startling first novel about an eleven-year-old girl who suddenly begins to grow wings -- wings with soft auburn feathers, which only at first can be hidden with long hair and loose clothes. Funny, sad, and hopeful, this remarkable story captures a girl's shock at feeling alone in life, as it follows her journey to answer a most important question: how can a girl with wings ever fit into the world?
Publication Date: 01/18/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Less-Dead
April Lurie
Synopsis: Noah Nordstrom has been dissing the religious beliefs of his father, who hosts a popular Christian radio show and whom Noah accuses of spreading hate. When two local gay teens are murdered, Noah’s anti-evangelism intensifies—he’s convinced that the killer is a caller on his dad’s program.

Then Noah meets Will Reed, a cool guy. But when he learns that Will is gay, Noah gets a little weirded out. Especially since Will seems really into him. Noah gives Will the brush-off. Meanwhile, the killer is still at large . . . and soon Noah finds the next victim. It’s Will.

Racked with guilt, Noah decides to investigate. He knows the serial killer is targeting gay teens, but only those who live in foster homes, whose deaths are not that important to society; they are the less-dead. Noah, however, is determined to prove that someone cares. With the help of Will’s journal, which he pocketed at the scene of the crime and in which the killer has written clues, Noah closes in on an opponent more dangerous than he can guess.
Publication Date: 01/12/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Green
Laura Peyton Roberts
Synopsis: Turning thirteen starts off with a bang for Lily. Literally. A birthday present explodes on her porch . . . and soon after a trio of leprechauns (yes, leprechauns) appears in her bedroom. They whisk her away to a land of clover, piskies, a new friend, a cute boy, and lots of glimmering, glittering gold. A world of Green.

It turns out that Lily, like her grandmother before her, is next in line to be keeper for the Clan of Green, and in charge of all their gold. That is, if she passes three tests. And she has to pass them. Because if she doesn’t she may never get to go home again. She’ll be stuck with the Greens.

Forever.
Publication Date: 01/12/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
They Never Came Back
Caroline B. Cooney
Synopsis: In a busy school cafeteria, a teenage girl is confronted by a classmate who questions her identity. He explains to the students who have crowded around that the girl bears an uncanny resemblance to his cousin, who was taken away by social services five years ago. Her parents abandoned her, fleeing the country after being accused of embezzling millions of dollars. The students are intrigued, but the girl shrugs off the attention as a case of mistaken identity.

As the days pass, however, the boy refuses to relent and even brings his parents in to back him up. But they are not the only adults involved. An FBI agent who has been working the case these past five years believes that whoever this girl is, she can serve as bait to help the FBI capture the fugitives. In this powerful novel that explores the possibility of mistaken identity, the evils of money and greed, and the heartfelt obligations of family and loyalty, Caroline B. Cooney has once again crafted a page-turner that will resonate with readers.
Publication Date: 01/12/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Flightsend
Linda Newbery
Synopsis: Flightsend is Charlie's new home, whether she likes it or not. Her mother sees it as an end to all that’s gone so tragically wrong. They had been a proper family. Mum; her boyfriend, Sean; and Charlie, with a new baby sister on the way. But the baby died before she was born and everything changed. Gradually, Charlie’s mother pushed Sean away, before resigning from her job and selling the house.

Charlie is certain that the move to a ramshackle cottage, miles from anywhere, can only make things worse. She couldn’t be more wrong. For Charlie’s mum there’s a new business and the fresh start that she knew she needed. And for Charlie there’s a new job, new friends, a newly discovered talent for art, and new feelings for two very different men. It’s a summer of beginnings, not ends; a summer that Charlie will never forget.
Publication Date: 01/12/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Dream Life
Lauren Mechling
Synopsis: Claire Voyante's first semester at Henry Hudson High School was eventful, to say the least. As she heads into her second semester, things are calming down a bit. But Claire has a few secrets that are getting harder to keep. Her biggest secret of all? The onyx and ivory cameo necklace her grandmother gave her for her 15th birthday. Ever since she started wearing it, her dreams have been coming to her in black and white and turning out to be oddly prophetic.

Becca’s been hanging out with her old prep school friends and never seems to have time for Claire anymore. And soon, Claire discovers why—there’s a secret group of society girls with a mysterious identity. And, turns out, a mysterious enemy who’s out to get them. The second she sniffs out trouble, Claire jumps on the case. But is it someone close to Claire who’s in danger again—or could it be Claire herself whose life is at stake?
Publication Date: 01/12/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Indian Summer
Tracy Richardson
Synopsis: Luminis Books presents this harrowing tale of friendship, adventure, and doing the right thing, no matter what the cost. 

Can a spirit from the past come back to help us solve a problem in the present?

Expecting another lonely summer at her grandparents' cottage in the woods, twelve-year-old Marcie Horton gets more than she bargained for when the area is threatened by a wealthy university president, who has no problem replacing the quaint, historic area with over-sized mansions.

Marcie refuses to sit back and watch her childhood memories disappear into the past--she'll do anything to save the centuries-old forest from destruction. Bewildered by the enormous task ahead, Marcie finds unexpected guidance when the spirit of a Native American girl presents herself, offering cryptic-dream like messages that are clearly the key to succeeding in her quest.

Although she seems to be making real progress on her mission to save the forest, her budding friendship with the  university president's daughter--her one summer-time companion--threatens to unravel everything.

Will Marcie stay true to her friends even if it means giving up everything she's fought so hard to protect? Or, will she choose to save the forest at great personal sacrifice?

INDIANA / FOREST / NATIVE AMERICANS / SAILBOAT RACES / ENVIRONMENTAL FICTION / FRIENDSHIP / MIDDLE-GRADE
Publication Date: 01/05/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Some Girls Are
Courtney Summers
Synopsis:

From Courtney Summers, the author of Cracked Up To Be, comes a dark new tale of high school rivalry in which vicious rumors and nasty tricks are the currency that buys you popularity or seals your fate at the bottom of the food chain.

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard--falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around.

Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.

Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion.

“This story takes an unflinching look at the intricacies of high school relationships .... Fans of the film Mean Girlwill enjoy this tale of redemption and forgiveness.” ―School Library Journal

Publication Date: 01/05/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Firespell
Chloe Neill
Synopsis: New Girl.
New School.
Old Evil.

From the author of the Chicagoland Vampires novels.

A new series about a boarding school filled with something worse than homework.

Lily's parents have sent her to a fancy boarding school in Chicago filled with the ultra-rich. If that wasn't bad enough, she's hearing and seeing bizarre things on St. Sophie's creepy campus. Her roommate, Scout, keeps her sane, but keeps disappearing at night. When one day Lily finds Scout running from real-life monsters, she learns the hard way that Scout is involved in a splinter group of rebel teens.

They protect Chicago from demons, vamps, and dark magic users. It's too bad Lily doesn't have powers of her own to help. At least, none that she's discovered yet...
Publication Date: 01/05/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Bushfire Rescue
Justin D'Ath
Synopsis: After trying to save a prize bull from being stolen by rustlers, Sam Fox finds himself trapped in the moutains as a bushfire rages and he has to rely on Chainsaw, a rodeo bull, to find his way out.
Publication Date: 01/01/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Mia the Magnificent
Eileen Boggess
Synopsis: A contemporary Washington mystery with a high tech, China twist… A brilliantly-conceived spy novel introducing seven engaging characters whose lives are transformed by crisis.It begins as a drinking club in an academic backwater on the Stanford University campus of the late 1970s. A post-Nixon/post-Mao generation of China scholars plots to make a better world. Suddenly, the U.S. recognizes the People’s Republic of China. Intense demand arises for the unique skills The Mandarin Club members possess.Now, yesterday’s dreamers are today’s policy-makers and pundits, patriots and spies. Their intimately intertwined past thrusts them together into an international crisis straight from tomorrow’s headlines, as America, China, and Taiwan stumble toward war.Told sequentially from the perspective of each of the Stanford originals, the fast-paced tale takes us behind the scenes of rogue intelligence operations and high tech smuggling, from Washington and Beijing to the wild coastal towns of California.
Publication Date: 01/01/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Hearts At Stake
Alyxandra Harvey
Synopsis:

On Solange's sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that's not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black-agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father's killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family.

Luckily she has her own secret weapon-her human best friend Lucy-who is willing to defend Solange's right to a normal life, whether she's being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange's eternal life-Lucy and Solange's brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black-in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover's heart.

Even fans of the genre who've seen it all will find a fresh read with kick-butt characters and family dynamics that ring true for all brothers and sisters-vampire or otherwise.

Publication Date: 01/01/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Rich Again
Anna Maxted
Synopsis:

Walk-in closet full of designer everything? Check. Private Caribbean island? Check. Connection to the aristocracy? Working on it. Cunning, malicious stalker? Double check.

Welcome to the world of the Kents, a charismatic, ambitious, and fabulously wealthy English family with two sisters – one as strong and sparkling as the other is delicate and wounded – who must somehow put their differences aside to keep an unknown enemy from bringing them down. Wild and beautiful Emily Kent has had the world laid at her feet by her ruthless mother and billionaire father – but it's not enough. Gifted with her mother's to-die-for looks, her father's hard-scrabble business sense, and both of her parents' lust for control, Emily is determined to make her own luck by seducing the only man she's ever wanted, a man who can make her dreams of attaining the heights of old-money English society come true. By contrast, Emily's step-sister, Claudia, is a fragile soul―her mother died when she was five, leaving her to the unkind reign of step-mother Innocence. In an uncharacteristic burst of rebellion, Claudia trades her gilded lifestyle for an ordinary flat and daytime job where she meets the man of her dreams… or so she imagines.

But, Emily and Claudia are caught up in a desperate situation that may be beyond their control. As for their father, disgraced tycoon Jack Kent, and his wife Innocence, they are too obsessed with the fight for supremacy over their vast empire to see that a mighty and sinister opponent is plotting to ruin them all.

Publication Date: 12/22/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Ever Breath
Julianna Baggott
Synopsis: Follow the secret passageway . . . and discover the magic!

In a world where locust fairies flutter and firebreathers burst from snowbanks, two children are having the adventure of their lives. Truman and his twin sister, Camille, have just met their grandmother . . . and she’s a little strange. She whispers a tale about something called the Ever Breath, an amber orb that maintains the balance between our world and a dreamy one of imagination—and evil.

Soon Truman and Camille find themselves in the Breath World, a magical place where ogres clash and a mouse holds the key to a mystery. Some creatures want to help them—and some want them D-E-A-D. That’s because the Ever Breath has been stolen, and an epic battle is raging to bring it safely back. Can the twins save not only one world—but two?
Publication Date: 12/22/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

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