All Books
Synopsis: Fourth-grader Calvin lives near the beach in Oahu with his mom and little sister. Mom says: “You’re the man of the house.” But Calvin’s not great at being the man of the house, or taking care of his responsibilities. He’s too busy having fun with his pals, and avoiding Tito, the bully.
Trouble Magnet is the first book in a new series for younger readers full of all the fun of growing up in Hawaii. It introduces a wonderful multicultural cast of characters, including Mr. Purdy, who calls his fourth-grade class Boot Camp; Uncle Scoop, who runs the lunch wagon at the beach; Ledward, Mom’s 6'7" boyfriend; and gorgeous, intimidating, 15-year-old Stella-from-Texas, who arrives to be the live-in babysitter—and to step all over Calvin’s turf.
Trouble Magnet is the first book in a new series for younger readers full of all the fun of growing up in Hawaii. It introduces a wonderful multicultural cast of characters, including Mr. Purdy, who calls his fourth-grade class Boot Camp; Uncle Scoop, who runs the lunch wagon at the beach; Ledward, Mom’s 6'7" boyfriend; and gorgeous, intimidating, 15-year-old Stella-from-Texas, who arrives to be the live-in babysitter—and to step all over Calvin’s turf.
Publication Date: 03/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Ernie Dolan, 14, is plagued by the curse of the average. Nothing about him stands out-except his stutter. Only best friend Mike Rivers sees him at his best. Then, at a competitive basketball camp, Mike excels while Ernie is-average. When Ernie blunders in a pickup game, Rick Craig, obnoxious camp hotshot, nicknames him "Choke." This sets the tone for Ernie's first week. But he soon finds three new allies: bunkmate Albert Mann, a goofy genius and practical joker; Coach Petrovich, a 6'8" Russian who mangles the English language; and camp director Tim Sanders, the mentor every kid needs. Soon, Ernie and Mike are on the outs, as Mike hangs with Craig and the jocks. But things change dramatically as Ernie morphs from outcast to hero, risking his life to save three campmates from near tragedy. Ernie's funny, heartwarming story unfolds against the backdrop of exciting, authentic basketball action, while touching on typical teen issues of friendship and the near-deadly consequences of peer pressure.
Publication Date: 03/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Running for My Life is the powerful story of Andrea McKane, a fourteenyear- old who struggles to cope with her mother's schizophrenia. She must face the heartbreaking fact that her mother, with whom she once laughed and played, has vanished into her disease, possibly forever. The book accurately portrays the difficulties a teen faces when dealing with the illness, the abuse and absence of a parent with mental illness. Running for My Life shows the effects of mental illness on a family, and a teenager's attempts to manage the changes that have shaken her life.With courage, strength, and the loving support of her friends, her father, and her therapist, Andrea finds salvation through running. Running for My Life represents a heartwarming, encouraging breakthrough effort in portraying the challenges teens confront when they have to protect themselves from a guardian.
Publication Date: 03/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Summer heats up for three teenaged girls in Los Angeles, a city known for itscrime and glamour.
Publication Date: 03/17/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: A young girl whose mother dies in a tragic car accident searches for a surrogate mom in Mary Kay Abbott’s luminous novel Pearl of Baxter Grove. Young Casey is only 11-years-old, but she’s crumbling under the weight of losing her mother in a car accident on Christmas Eve. Her workaholic, overstressed dad has no time for her, and so she ventures out into nearby bucolic Baxter Grove to find some support. Prospects look bleak when all Casey can find is a kid-hating shop owner and an African American newcomer who greets Casey with a shotgun! But Casey soon learns that what you see isn’t always what you get. She discovers that one of these unlikely women is just what she needs to heal. Warmly written and filled with richly drawn characters, Pearl of Baxter Grove is an inspiring story that children will treasure for years to come.
Publication Date: 03/12/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: When Janna impulsively buys a winter hat for a bag lady, she expects nothing in return. But Janna's kindness pays off in a big way when the bag lady turns out to be a genie! Now Janna is the genie's master and she couldn't be happier, especially when she learns that the "three wishes" rule is strictly for fairy tales!
Before long, Janna's room is overflowing with clothes and gadgets -- but things aren't quite as simple as they seem. Making wishes comes with its own set of rules, and Janna discovers that "unlimited" has some...well, limits. Genies can't make something out of nothing, so everything that Janna wishes for is taken from somebody else. Oops. And then there's the problem of genie wattage -- there's only so much of it, and Janna is using it up faster than she'd like. What's a greedy girl to do?
With insight, warmth, and a refreshing dose of humor, Kimberly K. Jones puts a new twist on the old adage "Be careful what you wish for."
Before long, Janna's room is overflowing with clothes and gadgets -- but things aren't quite as simple as they seem. Making wishes comes with its own set of rules, and Janna discovers that "unlimited" has some...well, limits. Genies can't make something out of nothing, so everything that Janna wishes for is taken from somebody else. Oops. And then there's the problem of genie wattage -- there's only so much of it, and Janna is using it up faster than she'd like. What's a greedy girl to do?
With insight, warmth, and a refreshing dose of humor, Kimberly K. Jones puts a new twist on the old adage "Be careful what you wish for."
Publication Date: 03/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Talullah, Louisiana. 1899.
Calogero, his uncles, and cousins are six Sicilian men living in the small town of Tallulah, Louisiana. They work hard, growing vegetables and selling them at their stand and in their grocery store.
To 14-year-old Calogero, newly arrived from Sicily, Tallulah is a lush world full of contradictions, hidden rules, and tension between the Negro and white communities. He’s startled and thrilled by the danger of a ’gator hunt in the midnight bayou, and by his powerful feelings for Patricia, a sharpwitted, sweet-natured Negro girl. Some people welcome the Sicilians. Most do not. Calogero’s family is caught in the middle: the whites don’t see them as equal, but befriending Negroes is dangerous. Every day brings Calogero and his family closer to a a terrifying, violent confrontation.
Calogero, his uncles, and cousins are six Sicilian men living in the small town of Tallulah, Louisiana. They work hard, growing vegetables and selling them at their stand and in their grocery store.
To 14-year-old Calogero, newly arrived from Sicily, Tallulah is a lush world full of contradictions, hidden rules, and tension between the Negro and white communities. He’s startled and thrilled by the danger of a ’gator hunt in the midnight bayou, and by his powerful feelings for Patricia, a sharpwitted, sweet-natured Negro girl. Some people welcome the Sicilians. Most do not. Calogero’s family is caught in the middle: the whites don’t see them as equal, but befriending Negroes is dangerous. Every day brings Calogero and his family closer to a a terrifying, violent confrontation.
Publication Date: 03/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: With her martyr-doctor mother gone to save lives in some South American country, Poe Holly suddenly finds herself on the suburban doorstep of the father she never knew, who also happens to be a counselor at her new high school. She misses Los Angeles. She misses the guys in her punk band. Weirdly, she even misses the shouting matches she used to have with her mom.
But Poe manages to find a few friends: Theo, the cute guy in the anarchy Tshirt, and Velveeta, her oddly likeable neighbor—and a born victim who’s the butt of every prank at Benders High. But when the pranks turn deadly at the hands of invincible football star Colby Morris, Poe knows she’s got to fix the system and take down the hero.
With insightfulness, spot-on dialogue, and a swiftly paced plot, Michael Harmon tells the story of a displaced girl grappling with a truly dangerous bully.
But Poe manages to find a few friends: Theo, the cute guy in the anarchy Tshirt, and Velveeta, her oddly likeable neighbor—and a born victim who’s the butt of every prank at Benders High. But when the pranks turn deadly at the hands of invincible football star Colby Morris, Poe knows she’s got to fix the system and take down the hero.
With insightfulness, spot-on dialogue, and a swiftly paced plot, Michael Harmon tells the story of a displaced girl grappling with a truly dangerous bully.
Publication Date: 03/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: For the past two years, Bailey Morgan has lived a double life: high school student by day, ancient mystical being by night. As the third Fate, Bailey literally controls the fate of the world, but as Plain Old Bailey, her life is falling apart. She’s got a tattoo that was supposed to be temporary (but isn’t), friendships that were supposed to last forever (but might not), and no idea what her future holds after high school graduation.
Then Bailey meets the rest of the Sidhe, an ancient race defined by their power, beauty, and a sinister habit of getting what they want at any cost. Before Bailey knows it, she’s being drawn into an otherworldly web more complicated than anything she weaves as a mortal Fate.
Then Bailey meets the rest of the Sidhe, an ancient race defined by their power, beauty, and a sinister habit of getting what they want at any cost. Before Bailey knows it, she’s being drawn into an otherworldly web more complicated than anything she weaves as a mortal Fate.
Publication Date: 03/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Maggie Quinn was expecting to find plenty of trouble with Lisa over Spring Break. Give a girl a bikini, a beachfront hotel, and an absent boyfriend, and it’s as good as a road map to the dark side. But Maggie doesn’t have to go looking for trouble. Trouble has started looking for her. One dead cow and a punctured gas tank later, she and Lisa are stuck in
Dulcina, Texas—a town so small that it has an owner. And lately life in this small town hasn’t been all that peaceful. An eerie predator is stalking the ranchland.
Everyone in town has a theory, but not even Maggie’s psychic mojo can provide any answers. And the longer the girls are stranded, the more obvious it becomes that something is seriously wrong. Only no one—not even Maggie’s closest ally—wants to admit that they could have been forced on a detour down the highway to hell.
Dulcina, Texas—a town so small that it has an owner. And lately life in this small town hasn’t been all that peaceful. An eerie predator is stalking the ranchland.
Everyone in town has a theory, but not even Maggie’s psychic mojo can provide any answers. And the longer the girls are stranded, the more obvious it becomes that something is seriously wrong. Only no one—not even Maggie’s closest ally—wants to admit that they could have been forced on a detour down the highway to hell.
Publication Date: 03/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: The cottage on the lake is always the same, but Luke is changing. At thirteen he’s excited. At fourteen he’s cool. At fifteen he’s pissed off. At sixteen he’s in love.
Through four summers’ worth of trips to the emergency room, campfires and house fires, parties and feuds with neighbors, Luke is doing his best to navigate life. He makes discoveries, makes mistakes, freaks out, and comes to see things in a new light.
Brent Runyon has crafted a remarkable portrait of a boy at four distinct points in his life and literally shows us his coming of age. It’s a story that explores what is ever-changing and what is timeless, and how we are shaped by both the people and places we love.
Through four summers’ worth of trips to the emergency room, campfires and house fires, parties and feuds with neighbors, Luke is doing his best to navigate life. He makes discoveries, makes mistakes, freaks out, and comes to see things in a new light.
Brent Runyon has crafted a remarkable portrait of a boy at four distinct points in his life and literally shows us his coming of age. It’s a story that explores what is ever-changing and what is timeless, and how we are shaped by both the people and places we love.
Publication Date: 03/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Only in L.A. would a school internship involve celebrity guest stars and hitting your mark. Acting is not my thing (can you say shy spasm?) . . . but mysteries are. I’m working as an extra on my sister’s latest movie, and legend has it that the mansion we’re filming in is haunted. With disappearing paintings, a glowing ghost, and Eva acting possessed (by love?), I’m starting to believe the stories are true!
Chills. Thrills. Things that go bump in the night. Is my jinx on overdrive or have I stepped into a real-life horror flick?
Chills. Thrills. Things that go bump in the night. Is my jinx on overdrive or have I stepped into a real-life horror flick?
Publication Date: 03/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis:
A girl doesn't have a date for the school dance―until her dad makes one for her in his lab. "Lily―meet Stitchy." A family enjoys a nice Thanksgiving dinner―until they are interrupted by a torrent of turkeys out for revenge. A princess meets a pea-brained suitor. And the battle of two red hot pepper weenies ends in flames.
Critically-acclaimed author and master of the macabre David Lubar returns from a journey into the darkest depths of his brain with thirty-five more warped and creepy tales. And in the tradition of the three previous Weenie collections―In the Land of the Lawn Weenies, Invasion of the Road Weenies, and The Curse of the Campfire Weenies―he reveals the inspiration behind each story at the end of the book. Don't be a weenie. Read these stories...if you dare!
Publication Date: 03/03/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis:
Zack knows he's not a normal kid. He's really an alien agent-in-training, brought to Earth to help guide the planet into the Galactic Union. Aliens follow him to a ritzy summer camp, where he's hooked up with Vraj, a huge, dinosaur-like creature on her first-ever assignment. Their mission: To get back a bunch of alien Duthwi eggs that, if hatched, can harm Earth. Their problem: Lots of eggs, too little time, and those bad guys are still after them. So what's a young alien to do?
Publication Date: 03/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis:
Alan Bennett is all set for his senior year to be the best year ever. He’s the school’s star jock, star writer, star everything . But that’s before Duncan Stein enters the scene. Stein, the new boy at Cayuta High, is nicknamed "Doomed" by his classmates, and Alan thinks he’s a total joke. Then Stein invents a newspaper called REMOTE , with personal ads everyone wants to imitate. Suddenly, Stein is most WANTED himself, even by Alan’s own girlfriend! Could Alan possibly lose his girl to such a freak?
Publication Date: 03/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Quirky, smart, and good looking, Zack Chase is a book-loving, talented hockey player.But he doesn't want to turn pro like his late dad, despite his mom's hopes. New in town, Zack's pitted against obnoxious Mac, the hockey team captain with something against Jane, the alluring Goth-girl who's caught Zack's eye. As incidents on the ice and off force Zack to decide what he really wants, he copes with sore losers, other people's drinking problems, and the consequences of making out with too many girls. As Zack focuses even less on hockey, he discovers other ways he wants to score in life, especially as a 15-year-old guy with spiking hormones. He's being chased by hot little Mona; his best friend Sheila has curves that make him sweat; and he'd like to show Jane that he's not another typical hockey player. Soon Zack finds out the hard way that people have secrets and burdens all their own, and that some actions have tragic, far-reaching consequences.
Publication Date: 02/26/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction