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The Star of The Serpent
Benjamin K. Stone
Synopsis: If you were there… You would have heard a surprising story about the mystical star that today inspires the annual crowning of cultivated saplings and the proud decoration of many homes. A star believed by many sent to glorify a newborn king. But there is a sinister side to the tale many have never been told. It is the untold story of a manipulated star that led unsuspecting astrologers to a jealous king bent on eliminating a rightful ruler. An artful star that indirectly influenced a hidden infanticide that neither clerics nor profiteers want to talk about or remembered. A pretending star of light guided by one known as "the serpent".
Publication Date: 11/17/17
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Living
Matt de la Peña
Synopsis: Newbery Award-winning author Matt de la Peña's The Living is "a rare thing: a plot-driven YA with characters worthy of a John Green novel.” [Entertainment Weekly, A-]

Shy took the summer job to make some money. In a few months on a luxury cruise liner, he'll rake in the tips and be able to help his mom and sister out with the bills. And how bad can it be? Bikinis, free food, maybe even a girl or two—every cruise has different passengers, after all.
   But everything changes when the Big One hits. Shy's only weeks out at sea when an earthquake more massive than ever before recorded hits California, and his life is forever changed.
   The earthquake is only the first disaster. Suddenly it's a fight to survive for those left living.
   Look for the thrilling sequel, The Hunted, in bookstores now!

Praise for The Living:

“De la Peña has created a rare thing: a plot-driven YA with characters worthy of a John Green novel.”-Entertainment Weekly, A-
 
“Action is first and foremost. . . . De la Peña can uncork delicate but vivid scenes.” —The New York Times

“[The Living] is special because of its extraordinary protagonist, Shy, who I haven’t been able to shake from my mind in the weeks since I read the book.”-John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars

"There's no way to classify The Living. It's everything I love mixed into one fantastic, relentless, action-packed story. As always with Matt, the characters are the best part. So real. I loved this book."-James Dashner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Maze Runner series

[STAR] "An addictive page-turner and character-driven literary novel with broad appeal for fans of both."-Kirkus Reviews, Starred

[STAR] "An excellent, enthralling ride...a great read for those looking for adventure and survival stories."-VOYA, Starred

A Pura Belpré Author Honor Award Winner

An ALSC Notable Children's Book Pick
Publication Date: 11/12/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
This Is Not The End
Jesse Jordan
Synopsis: James Salley is turning sixteen, and it’s not going well. His family’s too busy to care, the local bully creates new tortures daily, someone appears to be following him, and he’s just learned that he’s the Antichrist.

All James ever wanted out of life was for Dorian Delaney — the operatically trained and suicidal girl of his dreams — to fall as in love with him as he is with her. But once he’s told of his bloody destiny, he finds himself fighting between who he thought he was and who he’s supposed to be.

With the school librarian pushing him to begin the Apocalypse, an irritable homunculus watching his back, and a murderous cabal of Catholics following him everywhere, James must discover how to navigate a world in which everything he’s ever believed is wrong — and if it’s possible to be the hero of a story when you’ve already been cast as the villain.
Publication Date: 06/14/16
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
After Isaac
Avra Wing
Synopsis: His brother is dead. His parents are making new plans. His only plan is to run away.Aaron Saturn, 14, is an emotional zombie--stuck in grief for his little brother, Isaac, who died. Aaron longs for an escape, and thinks he's found one when he meets Kim, a girl living on the streets of New York City's East Village. But the real upheaval in his life hits when his parents reveal a startling plan to change their family. Aaron needs to learn that running away won't heal him. For that to happen, he must be willing to let love back into his life. Love that will lead him farther away than he ever imagined--all the way to China. In the tradition of The Last Time We Say Goodbye, After Isaac is a deeply affecting novel about death--and life.
After Isaac touches on issues of grief in young adults, sibling loss, homeless youth, adoption and China's one-child policy.
Publication Date: 05/14/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Spirit's Chosen
Esther Friesner
Synopsis: From princess to slave in the blink of an eye. . . .

Himiko's world is falling apart. An attack by a rival clan, the Ookami, has left many from her tribe dead or enslaved. Amid the chaos and fear, Himiko hatches a plan to save her people. But just when it seems that she will outwit Ryu, the cruel Ookami leader, she is captured. Held against her will, Himiko starts to realize that not all of the Ookami are her enemies. Though she may not see her path as clearly as the spirits seem to, there's more adventure (and even unexpected love) for this princess turned shaman-warrior.

Readers who love strong girl-centric adventures are eating up Esther Friesner's Princesses of Myth books, finding the mash-up of historical fiction and fantasy adventure irresistible!

"Himiko is brave and bold. I love her!" --Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author

"This historical fiction/mythology/fantasy blend is perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce, Rick Riordan, and P. C. Cast." --School Library Journal
Publication Date: 04/23/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Letters to Follow: A Dancer's Adventure Ballet Trilogy Bk 3
Synopsis: Lynne struggles to find her place in the world of professional ballet while her own world is turning upside down.

Lynne Meadows has a chip on her shoulder. Her two best friends are gone. Bartley had died, and Marta left the Intermountain Ballet Company after breaking her ankle. Now Lynne s alone and a perpetual thorn in the directors lives. An accident and a string of sabotages disrupt the career she s always wanted, and she wonders how long she ll be welcome at the company.

Damien Black, the artistic director, suggests she represent her fellow dancers on an injury committee. If that goes well and her attitude improves, he and Madame Cosper, the company director, promise to recommend her to a summer dance troupe performing across France. He even asks her to introduce his new ballet, An American in Paris, in France. However, they do not promise even a limited contract once she returns. Because the cost of the trip is beyond her means, her mother asks Lynne s Uncle Leo for help.

He offers to pay for her ship s passage and give her the car he plans to buy while there if she will drive him around Europe for a month after she finishes performing. The free trip and new car excite her; she agrees to the arrangement despite his legendary lack of dependability.

After the Intermountain Ballet season ends, she works feverishly with Damien Black to learn the choreography for the trip as well as his new ballet. Her aunt sells the property where Lynne s lived for two years, so she must pack up and store her possessions, then find a new home once she returns. Two weeks before departing, she meets Noel Elijah, a rancher, who captivates her interest. Very different from the guys she s dated in the past, he s a perfect gentleman. But she s leaving. The coveted tour in France stands in the way of their budding romance.

Her summer begins on the ship to France, where Lynne meets Lucia, a dancer who is also part of the troupe; together they are invited to perform on the ship. Once they reach Paris, Lynne is assigned to share housing with Arty, another troupe dancer; and the girls form a friendship with fellow dancers Wallace and Karl. Cheryl, the dance director, approaches their practices with enthusiasm, passion, and a positive attitude that encourage Lynne to renew her love of dancing.

One day during their rare free time, the girls visit a fortuneteller, who predicts their futures. Lynne scoffs at the whole idea, but is taken aback when hers start to come true. The prediction about two men coming and going in her life unnerves her: she hopes the one leaving is not her father with new heart problems and that Noel is the one stepping into her life.

The dancers complete the tour, as well as extra performances, and are well received at an invitational waltz festival. Then they go their separate ways. Lynne must gather up the energy to stay another month with her Uncle Leo while she longs to return home to Noel and rejoin the Intermountain Ballet Company if they will take her back.

Uncle Leo returns a day late to pick her up in a tinny mini car instead of the plush one she expected. Next, he changes their plans daily to accommodate his own whims and sleeps while she does all the driving. Then he loses their money, leaving them nearly destitute. Her final and most devastating disappointment comes when he strands her in Portugal with no car, no return ticket, and only thirty dollars to make her own way over a thousand miles back to Paris and then home to Montana. She walks, hitchhikes, works for meals, and sleeps in hostels, sheds, and bus stops along the way. Through the kindness of strangers and Noel, she finally returns to Billings, only to discover Madame Cosper has had a stroke.

Publication Date: 11/22/16
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Grace and Dignity: The Ark of the Sacred Scrolls (Volume 1)
Team Artboy and Laura Grody, Olga Matlin, Olga Matlin, Laura Grody
Synopsis: Princess Grace and Prince Dignity, a royal couple with mystical powers, are set to be crowned king and queen of the magnificent Kingdom of Love. But on the eve of their coronation, disaster strikes, and Grace is told her prince has been murdered. Grief-stricken, the princess reportedly dies of a broken heart, and the shocked kingdom falls into the eager hands of Dignity's unscrupulous, narcissistic cousin, Prince Denial.  Months later, however, Grace is found alive with a gap in her memory, a loss of her powers, and a mysterious Pig Latin note suggesting Prince Dignity is very much alive. As she searches for her prince throughout the rundown kingdom, Grace stumbles upon an ancient secret known as the Cosmic Source--a powerful force which promises to revive her mystical powers and lead to an exciting new way of living. But with the crown title "throne" for a loop, the future of the Kingdom of Love hangs upon the prince's Dignity.  Find out if True Love conquers all in this mystical, linguistical tale!Royalty Fiction, Clean Romance, YA Fantasy Adventure, Metaphysical Fiction, Fairy tales for adults, Visionary fiction, Romantic comedy Kindle books
Publication Date: 06/02/16
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Steelheart
Brandon Sanderson
Synopsis: The #1 New York Times bestseller from Brandon Sanderson, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Oathbringer, coauthor of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn trilogy. And don’t miss the rest of the Reckoners series: Firefight and Calamity!
   Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary people extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.
   Epics are no friends of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man, you must crush his will.
   Now, in what was once Chicago, an astonishingly powerful Epic named Steelheart has installed himself as emperor. Steelheart possesses the strength of ten men and can control the elements. It is said that no bullet can harm him, no sword can split his skin, and no fire can burn him. He is invincible. Nobody fights back . . . nobody but the Reckoners.
   A shadowy group of ordinary humans, the Reckoners spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them. And David wants in.
   When Steelheart came to Chicago, he killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David has been studying, and planning, and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.
   He has seen Steelheart bleed.
   And he wants revenge.

Praise for the Reckoners Series:

#1 New York Times Bestselling Series

“Another win for Sanderson . . . he’s simply a brilliant writer. Period.” —Patrick Rothfuss, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The Name of the Wind
 
“Action-packed.” —EW.com
 
“Compelling. . . . Sanderson uses plot twists that he teases enough for readers to pick up on to distract from the more dramatic reveals he has in store.” —The A.V. Club
Publication Date: 09/24/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Changed Forever (The Dreams of Sara Knight #1)
Synopsis: Caution! This is not another version of dystopia, or a new twist on forbidden love. There are no vampires here, either. This story is meant to engage you in another way. Now, if you want to learn amazing things about yourself and our world, while you’re being entertained, then this is a story for you. Two special souls have incarnated in order to help a struggling planet. They didn't have to come, like most of us. They came out of pure love. This is their story. This book delves into the mysteries of life. Did you ever wonder why we dream? Do you take your subconscious for granted? Is there anything behind the superstitions surrounding the number thirteen? How do you define God? Explore the answers to these questions and more, even as you give your softer side a pleasant adventure.
Publication Date: 08/14/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Paranormal
When the World Ends...
J. J. Marshall
Synopsis: "We're here as a terrorist cell looking to bring down the Board of Officials that essentially controls the entire Human Race. Those on Earth may have their own figures of authority in the Spheres but whether they ultimately live or die depends on decisions that the Board make. If we take them down then Humanity after they're gone can only be better" At the dawn of the 22nd Century, the Earth is dead. A lethal alien organism has rendered the planet uninhabitable and a small fraction of humanity has retreated to Space and the Moon. Those that remain on Earth are trapped in huge Spheres that encompass entire cities, tinted to defend against the deadly U.V. radiation that the atmosphere no longer protects Humanity from. 17-year-old Alec Corbett lives aboard the adapted International Space Station. One ordinary day in his mundane life he transforms his potential when he discovers information that could expose the corruption of the Board of Officials that now controls humanity. Armed with nothing but knowledge and his friend Jonah Jones by his side, Alec's righteous judgement leads them on a merciless and unforgiving path. For there is one key problem - the information comes from his father Landon Corbett; a member of the Board. Pitted against his own flesh and blood, Alec finds himself in a unique position to end the Board of Officials' dictatorship over Humanity. However, all is not as it seems and as the stakes grow increasingly higher, Humanity reaches the brink of all-out-war. Only Alec and his group of friends can peacefully negate the situation, but it all depends on whether or not anyone will listen to a 17-year-old boy.
Publication Date: 07/26/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
My Ex From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy Book One)
Synopsis: Pass gym. Get revenge on the mean girl. Saving the world was never part of the curriculum.    

Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie's biggest problems are the bitchy girls at her boarding school and her mouthy behavior landing her in detention.

Then she meets bad boy Kai. And gets the kiss that rocks her world.

That kiss reawakens Sophie's true identity: Persephone, Goddess of Spring. Now school is the least of her worries.

She's key to saving humanity and target numero uno of Hades and Zeus.

All she's gotta do is master her powers, land her bad boy crush, and save the world.

Happy Sweet Sixteen!

Sassy girls. Swoony gods. What could go wrong?

Get it now.
Publication Date: 03/15/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary
Synopsis: A NEWER, REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION OF THIS BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE, The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (DOG DAYS EDITION), ISBN 978-1419706424. INCLUDES 32 NEW PAGES ABOUT THE THIRD WIMPY KID MOVIE, DOG DAYS, PLUS AN ALL-NEW COVER ILLUSTRATION.
Publication Date: 07/01/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Across The Universe
Beth Revis
Synopsis: Book 1 in the New York Times bestselling trilogy, perfect for fans of Battlestar Gallactica and Passengers!

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SURVIVE ABOARD A SPACESHIP FUELED BY LIES?

Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the spaceship Godspeed. She has left her boyfriend, friends--and planet--behind to join her parents as a member of Project Ark Ship. Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth, three hundred years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, cryo chamber 42 is mysteriously unplugged, and Amy is violently woken from her frozen slumber.

Someone tried to murder her.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's 2,312 passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader. And Elder, Eldest's rebellious teenage heir, is both fascinated with Amy and eager to discover whether he has what it takes to lead.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she put her faith in a boy who has never seen life outside the ship's cold metal walls? All Amy knows is that she and Elder must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.
Publication Date: 04/29/25
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Vampire Diaries (Stefan's Diaries): Origins
Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson, L. J. Smith
Synopsis:

The first book in the New York Times bestselling series by L.J. Smith.

Origins is the first book in L.J. Smith’s bestselling Stefan’s Diaries series, which reveals the backstory of brothers Stefan and Damon from The Vampire Diaries series. This paperback features cover artwork from the hit CW TV series The Vampire Diaries, starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder.

Set in mid-19th century Mystic Falls, Virginia, three teenagers enter a torrid love triangle that will span eternity. Brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore are inseparable until they meet Katherine, a stunning, mysterious woman who turns their world upside down. Siblings turned rivals, the Salvatores compete for Katherine’s affection, only to discover that her sumptuous silk dresses and glittering gems hide a terrible secret: Katherine is a vampire. And she is intent on turning them into vampires so they can live together—forever.

Full of dark shadows and surprising twists, the first book in the New York Times bestselling Stefan’s Diaries series raises the stakes for the Salvatore brothers as they face new loves, old treacheries, and unimaginable threats. Fans of L. J. Smith’s New York Times bestselling Vampire Diaries series as well as the hit television show won’t be able to put the latest Salvatore adventure down.

Publication Date: 11/02/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
A Horse of Her Own
Annie Wedekind
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Jane Ryan has always dreamed of having a horse of her own—but so long as she gets to ride her favorite school horse, Beau, at Sunny Acres farm, she’s content. And this is the summer she means to try out for the advanced riding class.
      But just as camp begins, Jane receives heartbreaking news about Beau. She loses, not just her favorite horse, but also her chance to ride in the end-of-summer competition. When her trainer asks for her help with an out-of-control chestnut warmblood, Lancelot, a newcomer to the barn, she has no choice but to say yes.
     There’s another new addition to the farm: Ben Reyes, the grandson of the barn's manager. As Jane struggles to go on without Beau, and to make Lancelot the great horse she believes him to be, her feelings for Ben, her relationships with the privileged group of girls she rides with, and her painful, joyous road to self-discovery all lead to a heart-pounding conclusion that is truly a new beginning. Only Jane’s faith in Lancelot, and her own rediscovered skill and strength, can see her through the hard journey toward a horse of her own.
Publication Date: 05/27/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Host
Stephenie Meyer
Synopsis: Amazon Best of the Month, May 2008: Stephenie Meyer, creator of the phenomenal teen-vamp Twilight series, takes paranormal romance into alien territory in her first adult novel. Those wary of sci-fi or teen angst will be pleasantly surprised by this mature and imaginative thriller, propelled by equal parts action and emotion. A species of altruistic parasites has peacefully assumed control of the minds and bodies of most humans, but feisty Melanie Stryder won't surrender her mind to the alien soul called Wanderer. Overwhelmed by Melanie's memories of fellow resistor Jared, Wanderer yields to her body's longing and sets off into the desert to find him. Likely the first love triangle involving just two bodies, it's unabashedly romantic, and the characters (human and alien) genuinely endearing. Readers intrigued by this familiar-yet-alien world will gleefully note that the story's end leaves the door open for a sequel--or another series. --Mari Malcolm
Publication Date: 05/06/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction

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