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Shirt and Shoes Not Required
Synopsis: A house at the beach.

A bunch of hot strangers.

A three-month party that's

Off The Hook.

Seven randoms cram into a house down the shore, and they've all got agendas. Curt wants a gig. Polly wants a life. Owen's jonesing for someone he can't have. And everyone's geared up for one wicked summer.

Surfing all day, partying all night. Here's the real question: If your boyfriend's cheating but you're too busy hooking up, does it really count? And if people aren't who they say they are, does it really matter?

Publication Date: 04/24/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
How Ya Like Me Now
Brendan Halpin
Synopsis:

Since his dad died, Eddie's mom has spent all her time getting high on OxyContin, leaving Eddie to take care of himself. When Eddie's mom goes into rehab and his aunt and uncle take him away to Boston, everything changes. His new school, which he attends with his cousin Alex, is experimental: there's a CEO instead of a principal, classes are held in an office building, and the students, all sporting business-casual looks, are the only urban kids Eddie has ever seen outside of a rap video. As for Alex, it's bad enough that he has to share his bedroom with Eddie, but his parents are on his case about including his quiet cousin in his social life as well. Alex wants to do the right thing, but between talking to girls, playing video games, thinking about girls, laughing with his friends, and looking at girls, when is he supposed to find time to help Eddie and "work up to his potential" in school?

Two boys find that they have a lot to learn from each other in this touching, funny novel about finding your place and looking out for your friends.

Publication Date: 04/17/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
68 Knots
Michael Robert Evans
Synopsis: This edgy novel about a diverse group of teens who commandeer a sailboat and support themselves by pirating during one summer full of adventure and discovery, is also a subtle yet powerful novel of awakening, of coming to grips individually with the issues they face as they are on the cusp of adulthood. Written with restraint and authenticity, this powerful debut will appeal to older YA readers.
Publication Date: 04/15/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Rise of the Golden Cobra
Henry Aubin, Stephen Taylor
Synopsis:

A young scribe with revenge on his mind. A pharaoh's war for the honor of Egypt. An action-packed tale from ancient history.

During a picnic overlooking the Nile, 14-year-old scribe Nebi spots the riders first. Led by the treacherous Count Nimlot, the raiding party slaughters Nebi's master, the region's head of police. Although wounded, Nebi -- knowing that the pharaoh's northern territory is no longer secure -- escapes as the only living witness.

Nebi is quickly catapulted into events that will change history. Set in 728 B.C., Rise of the Golden Cobra surrounds the actual reign of Pharaoh Piankhy, the brilliant and compassionate leader whose astonishing campaign united ancient Egypt.

Nebi's adventures take him to the court of Piankhy himself, to friendship with feisty Prince Shebitku, and to war. Fierce battles culminate in the siege of Memphis, where Nebi finally confronts Nimlot and his own desire for revenge. Well-served by the pharaoh's honorable example, Nebi finds release in letting Nimlot live. Meanwhile, Piankhy's victory unites North and South Egypt, making him the one true pharaoh entitled to wear the golden cobra crown.

Bursting with action and political intrigue, and rich in historical detail and dramatic illustrations, Rise of the Golden Cobra is an epic adventure for the ages.

Publication Date: 04/13/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
A Swift Pure Cry
Siobhan Dowd
Synopsis: Ireland 1984.

After Shell's mother dies, her obsessively religious father descends into alcoholic mourning and Shell is left to care for her younger brother and sister. Her only release from the harshness of everyday life comes from her budding spiritual friendship with a naive young priest, and most importantly, her developing relationship with childhood friend, Declan, who is charming, eloquent, and persuasive. But when Declan suddenly leaves Ireland to seek his fortune in America, Shell finds herself pregnant and the center of a scandal that rocks the small community in which she lives, with repercussions across the whole country. The lives of those immediately around her will never be the same again.

This is a story of love and loss, religious belief and spirituality—it will move the hearts of any who read it.
Publication Date: 04/10/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Girl of the Moment
Lizabeth Zindel
Synopsis: When her father hooks her up with the opportunity to intern for a famous sixteen-year-old starlet, Lily thinks her summer is going to be filled with exciting people and places, but it's not long before she comes to realize that she was wrong in so many ways after experiencing "glamour" from an insider's point of view.
Publication Date: 04/05/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Fringe Girl In Love
Valerie Frankel
Synopsis: As she learns about tragic love stories in English literature, sixteen-year-old Dora experiences her own romantic misery with boyfriend Noel and witnesses the fracturing and mending of relationships of those close to her at home and at her exclusive Brooklyn private school.As she learns about tragic love stories in English literature, sixteen-year-old Dora experiences her own romantic misery with boyfriend Noel and witnesses the fracturing and mending of relationships of those close to her at home and at her exclusive Brooklyn private school.
Publication Date: 04/03/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Holdup
Terri Fields
Synopsis: Always caution, Joe has never even gotten so much as an after-school detention. So how is it that this Saturday night, he's at Burger Heaven, waving a loaded gun, yelling at the teen workers to get down on the floor NOW? Dylan has always succeeded at his twisted plans--until this Saturday, this robbery, where everything has gone wrong. And now, surrounded by police outside Burger Heaven, Dylan's life will never be the same--and neither will the lives of his hostages. Holdup--a novel with nine unforgettable points of view, in four astonishing parts--will leave the reader wondering about luck and life's strange surprises.
Publication Date: 04/03/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Throwing Like A Girl
Weezie Kerr Mackey
Synopsis:

"I love being on this bus with all these girls who play sports, even if Sally Fontineau, who wants to ruin my life, is half a bus in front of me. It’s not like every girl is my best friend. It’s just a thing I feel a part of. It makes everything different."

No one asks Ella how she feels about moving halfway across the country in the middle of her sophomore year. But she ends up in Texas anyway, without plans for the weekend or friends to guide her through the alien campus of her new private school. So she decides to try out for the softball team—and she makes it! Now if only she knew how to throw, hit, and field the ball. "This is the part you can’t read in a book. You just have to do it." Ella has a lot to learn—on and off the field.

Softball changes Ella’s life, for better and for worse. She discovers a confidence she never knew she had and makes new friends—and enemies. When Ella falls for her snotty teammate’s gorgeous brother, suddenly she isn’t just fielding balls, she’s also dodging evil glares from girls in class and on the team.

If Ella’s going to survive this year, she’ll have to set some ground rules and learn to stand up for herself—in the game and in her life.

Publication Date: 04/01/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance
Synopsis: Cynnie takes care of herself—and more importantly, she takes care of her little brother, Bill. So it doesn't matter that her mom is drunk all the time. Cynnie's got her own life. Cynnie's the one Bill loves more than anyone. Cynnie's the real mother in the house. And if there's one thing she knows for sure, it's that she'll never, ever sink as low as her mother.

But when things start to fall apart, Cynnie needs a way to dull the pain.

Never say never.

This unflinching look at the power of addiction is the story of one girl's fall into darkness—and the strength, trust, and forgiveness it takes to climb back out again.
Publication Date: 03/27/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Falling
Doug Wilhelm
Synopsis:

Everyone expected fifteen-year-old Matt Shaw to be Jeffords Junior High's star basketball player. But Matt never went out for the team. He won't even touch a ball anymore, and he hardly talks to anyone. No one understands why he's changed, but Matt knows that it's his "golden child" older brother who's really been doing all the changing. Matt can't imagine what would happen to his family if word got out about Neal's drug habit and the strung-out strangers he's seen coming and going from the house when their parents aren't home. Matt can't tell anyone what he knows - not his parents, not the police detective who refuses to leave him alone, not even Katie, the one girl he's ever really had feelings for. But even Matt has to wonder eventually if he's holding on to someone he may already have lost.


With his unparalleled ear for teen dialogue and emotions, Doug Wilhelm's new novel is a captivating look at falling apart, falling in love, and all the falling in between.

Publication Date: 03/20/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
How To Steal A Dog
Barbara O'Connor
Synopsis:

Half of me was thinking, Georgina, don't do this. Stealing a dog is just plain wrong. The other half of me was thinking, Georgina, you're in a bad fix and you got to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it.

Georgina Hayes is desperate. Ever since her father left and they were evicted from their apartment, her family has been living in their car. With her mama juggling two jobs and trying to make enough money to find a place to live, Georgina is stuck looking after her younger brother, Toby. And she has her heart set on improving their situation. When Georgina spots a missing-dog poster with a reward of five hundred dollars, the solution to all her problems suddenly seems within reach. All she has to do is "borrow" the right dog and its owners are sure to offer a reward. What happens next is the last thing she expected.

With unmistakable sympathy, Barbara O'Connor tells the story of a young girl struggling to see what's right when everything else seems wrong.

How to Steal a Dog is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Publication Date: 03/20/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Twisted
Laurie Halse Anderson
Synopsis: High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world. In Twisted, the acclaimed Laurie Halse Anderson tackles a very controversial subject: what it means to be a man today. Fans and new readers alike will be captured by Tyler’s pitchperfect, funny voice, the surprising narrative arc, and the thoughtful moral dilemmas that are at the heart of all of the author’s award-winning, widely read work.
Publication Date: 03/20/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Gentle's Holler
Kerry Madden
Synopsis: The sixties may have come to other parts of North Carolina, but with Mama pregnant again, Daddy struggling to find work, and nine siblings underfoot, nobody in the holler has much time for modern-day notions. Especially not twelve-year-old Livy Two, aspiring songwriter and self-appointed guardian of little sister Gentle, whose eyes “don't work so good yet.” Even after a doctor confirms her fears, Livy Two is determined to make the best of Gentle's situation and sets out to transform the family's scrappy dachshund into a genuine Seeing Eye dog. But when tragedy strikes, can Livy Two continue to stay strong for her family?

Publication Date: 03/15/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Hollywood Sisters: On Location
Synopsis: Real life isn't reel life, right? At least that's what Jeremy Jones tried to tell me after his red carpet smoochfest with Paige.

Not. Buying. It.

Besides, I'm too busy drinking in all the local color (from Mayan ruins to Cheeseheads!) as part of my sister E's entourage . . . and digging deep to find out who's behind the mysterious mishaps on the Two Sisters set. Because all roads seem to be leading back to (big gulp) . . . yours truly.
Publication Date: 03/13/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Whole World Full of Stars
Synopsis: Barry can punch anyone hard enough to make them see a whole sky full of stars, though that's not really his style. Barry and Alby have been friends since the first grade. They've always protected one another.

When Barry's pop dies, times are tough and the only thing Barry has of value is his dad's 1964 Ford Galaxie. Meanwhile Alby's got himself into big trouble with a cardshark. So he hatches a plan to make money. To help out Barry, but also to help himself. The problem is, Barry could get hurt, and it just might cost Alby their friendship. How much can you ask of a friend?
Publication Date: 03/13/07
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

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