Please enable JavaScript
All Books | Page 142 | LitPick Book Reviews
All Books
Faithful
Janet Fox
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Maggie Bennet?s life is in tatters. Her mother has disappeared, and is presumed dead. The next thing she knows, her father has dragged Maggie away from their elegant Newport home, off on some mad excursion to Yellowstone in Montana. Torn from the only life she?s ever known, away from her friends, from society, and verging on no prospects, Maggie is furious and devastated by her father?s betrayal. But when she arrives, she finds herself drawn to the frustratingly stubborn, handsome Tom Rowland, the son of a park geologist, and to the wild romantic beauty of Yellowstone itself. And as Tom and the promise of freedom capture Maggie?s heart, Maggie is forced to choose between who she is and who she wants to be.

Publication Date: 05/13/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks
Synopsis: Wealth. Privilege. Way too many pastel-tinted opinions. That is Carly’s life, and . . . It’s. Getting. On. Her. Nerves. Carly is ready to ditch the southern princess act and become real. The thing is, she’s always counted on her little sister, Anna, to love and support her—and tell her how right she is. But when Anna turns “hot” over the course of a single summer, everything goes weird. Suddenly Anna’s swimming in the deep end with the big girls while Carly watches from the kiddie pool, alone. Carly’s always relied on the constancy of her sister, but now everything is different, and she’s not so sure she likes it.
Publication Date: 05/13/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Bloodmaiden
Christine E Schulze
Synopsis: Zale. Gauthier. Varden. These three dynasties... They all sound like something out of an ancient, oriental myth or fairy tale. The concept of humans and dragons helping and living in harmony with one another, without fear. To me, that's exactly what they are. A distant dream only read of, whispered secretly, quietly yearned for. For, you see, I am the new Quelda of Tynan. These words echo the mystery, horror, and romance found within Schulze's fantasy novel. Along with her new husband, Chalom, Crislin must choose to embrace cruel tradition, run from it, or stand against it. The young couple's only hope is to rally the help of the three peaceful dragon dynasties of Sulaimon-but tradition is not on their side, even outside the realm of Tynan. The dragons outside Tynan's borders have been rumored as too stubborn and proud to believe their Tynanian brothers would commit such horrors as inflicted upon the Quelda. Gaining their aid is not a likely hope. Yet, any hope at all is valued in Tynan... If they are to stand a chance of bringing cruel tradition to a permanent end, Crisilin and Chalom must brave the constant, consuming blizzards of the Ever-white. They must brave the three dynasties and the challenges awaiting there. Together, they must convince the dragon emperors to allow them access to the shrines which house the sacred Aria - protective strands of music which may be able to disperse the evil from Tynan and unite the four dynasties of Sulaimon as a whole once again. Their only aid stems from a sprite whose moods are as unstable as her magic, a young minstrel, and a mysterious fox. Despite the odds, such plans are daring, dangerous, unprecedented, but fully possible - if they can escape the Wall first.
Publication Date: 05/12/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Monster Slayers
Lukas Ritter
Synopsis: When vicious, dog-headed gnolls kidnap everyone living in the small village of Hesiod, only Evin and his fighter friend Jorick manage to escape. With help from an ancient guidebook of magical beasts called A Practical Guide to Monsters, the two boys and a new friend--elf wizard Betilivatis--must trek through ancient ruins and face one menacing monster after another in order save their families.

But Evin soon realizes that not everything is as it seems. Someone--or something--has taken leadership of the gnolls and has dangerous plans for the kidnapped villagers. Betilivatis often disappears mysteriously and has strange conversations with someone only she can see. And Evin is having unusual dreams of a place he's never been, a place that feels more and more real with each passing day.

The pace never falters in this page-turning adventure, as Evin, Jorick, and Betilivatis bravely battle gnolls, a chimera, an ormyrr, and a lich, and it ends with a shocking twist that will make readers want to start the story all over again.
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Still Sucks To Be Me
Kimberly Pauley
Synopsis: With vampire boyfriend George and best friend Serena by her side, Mina thought she had her whole life—or rather afterlife—ahead of her. But then Mina’s parents drop a bomb. They’re moving. To Louisiana. And not somewhere cool like New Orleans, but some teeny, tiny town where cheerleaders and jocks rule the school. Mina has to fake her death, change her name, and leave everything behind, including George and Serena. Not even the Vampire Council’s shape-shifting classes can cheer her up. Then Serena shows up on Mina’s doorstep with some news that sends Mina reeling. Mina may look a lot better with fangs, but her afterlife isn’t any less complicated!
 
In this eagerly awaited sequel to the popular Sucks to Be Me, Kimberly Pauley addresses many of her fans’ most pressing questions (Will Serena become a vampire? What happened to Raven? What’s next for Mina and George?) with signature humor and breezy bloodsucking style.
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Cardturner
Louis Sachar
Synopsis: From Louis Sachar, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Newbery Medal for HOLES, comes the young adult novel THE CARDTURNER, an exploration of the human condition.
 
How are we supposed to be partners? He can’t see the cards and I don’t know the rules!
 
The summer after junior year of high school looks bleak for Alton Richards. His girlfriend has dumped him to hook up with his best friend. He has no money and no job. His parents insist that he drive his great-uncle Lester to his bridge club four times a week and be his cardturner—whatever that means. Alton’s uncle is old, blind, very sick, and very rich.
 
But Alton’s parents aren’t the only ones trying to worm their way into Lester Trapp’s good graces. They’re in competition with his longtime housekeeper, his alluring young nurse, and the crazy Castaneda family, who seem to have a mysterious influence over him.
 
Alton soon finds himself intrigued by his uncle, by the game of bridge, and especially by the pretty and shy Toni Castaneda. As the summer goes on, he struggles to figure out what it all means, and ultimately to figure out the meaning of his own life.
 
Through Alton’s wry observations, Louis Sachar explores the disparity between what you know and what you think you know. With his incomparable flair and inventiveness, he examines the elusive differences between perception and reality—and inspires readers to think and think again.
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Blimpo: The Third Circle of Heck
Bob Dob, Dale E. Basye
Synopsis: With more clever, dark humor and zany silliness, Dale E. Basye sends Milton and Marlo Fauster back for thirds in another laugh-out-loud installment of the popular series Heck.

After his second escape from Bea "Elsa" Bubb, the Principal of Darkness, Milton Fauster makes his way to Blimpo—the circle of the otherworldly reform school, Heck, where he's sure his friend Virgil is sentenced. Virgil's only crime is being, well, plump. Milton has to wonder if that's really enough to justify eternal darnation. And what Milton finds in Blimpo horrifies him. The overweight dead kids spend most of their time running on giant human hamster wheels called DREADmills that detect and exploit their deepest fears. The rest they spend eating Hambone Hank's barbecue—mystery meat that is delicious, but suspiciously (to Milton, anyway) haunting. Every classroom has a huge TV screen showing happy thin people who taunt Blimpo residents with a perfection they will never attain.

Meanwhile, at her new job in the devil's Infernship program, Milton's sister, Marlo, knows all about trying to achieve perfection. And failing miserably. Can Milton get himself and Virgil out of Blimpo in time to rescue Marlo, too? Or is Fauster the next delicacy on Bea "Elsa" Bubb's menu?
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Humor
Folly
Marthe Jocelyn
Synopsis: Three fates intertwine in this moving and passionate love story set in Victorian London. 


Mary Finn: country girl, maid to a lord in London

Caden Tucker: liar, scoundrel, and heart's delight

James Nelligan: age six, tossed into a herd of boys

When Mary Finn falls into the arms of handsome Caden Tucker, their frolic changes the course of her life. What possesses her? She's been a girl of common sense until now. Mary's tale alternates with that of young James Nelligan, a new boy in an enormous foundling home.


In Folly, Marthe Jocelyn's breathtaking command of language, detail, and character brings Victorian London to life on every page, while the deep emotions that illuminate this fascinating novel about life-changing moments are as current as today's news.
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Fire Opal
Regina McBride
Synopsis: There was a time when Maeve O'Tullagh led a simple life; a time when she and her mother, Nuala, collected kelp on the foreshore near their cottage in Ard Macha; a time when she played among the Celtic ruins with her older brothers and daydreamed about the legendary Holy Isles, an enchanted land ruled in a past age by a beautiful goddess.
But after Maeve's sister, Ishleen, is born, her mother sinks into a deep, impenetrable trance. For years, Maeve tries to help her mother "awaken," and then the unthinkable happens: Ishleen succumbs to the same mysterious ailment as Nuala.
            Heartbroken to think that her sister and her mother might be lost to her forever, Maeve sets off on an unimaginable quest to a world filled with fantastical creatures, a web of secrets, a handsome, devious villain who will stop at nothing to have her hand in marriage—braving them all to retrieve a powerful glowing stone that will help her recover the souls of her loved ones and bring them home to Ard Macha.
            An adventure-filled and spellbinding novel, The Fire Opal will enchant fantasy readers young and old.
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
I So Don't Do Makeup
Barrie Summy
Synopsis: What's better than a sleepover? A sleepover with makeovers! Sherry and her friends have an awesome time with eye shadow, glitter, and more hair products than a salon. But when the girls wake up the next morning with serious skin issues, Sherry is freaked. Someone must have tampered with her makeup!
 
It turns out that the mall's cosmetics kiosk has had lots of products returned by upset customers. Sherry is determined to get to the bottom of things. After all, she's a bit of a crime-solving celebrity (well, at least in the spirit world). Ghost academies around the world are impressed by Sherry's and her ghost mom's skills.
 
And if anyone can solve a mystery involving mascara, it's Sherry Holmes Baldwin.
 
This third mystery about fast-thinking sleuth Sherry Holmes Baldwin is perfect for tweens and teens who love investigating with heroines they can relate to.
What's better than a sleepover? A sleepover with makeovers! Sherry and her friends have an awesome time with eye shadow, glitter, and more hair products than a salon. But when the girls wake up the next morning with serious skin issues, Sherry is freaked. Someone must have tampered with her makeup!
 
It turns out that the mall's cosmetics kiosk has had lots of products returned by upset customers. Sherry is determined to get to the bottom of things. After all, she's a bit of a crime-solving celebrity (well, at least in the spirit world). Ghost academies around the world are impressed by Sherry's and her ghost mom's skills.
 
And if anyone can solve a mystery involving mascara, it's Sherry Holmes Baldwin.
 
This third mystery about fast-thinking sleuth Sherry Holmes Baldwin is perfect for tweens and teens who love investigating with heroines they can relate to.
 
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
Raiders From The North
Alex Rutherford
Synopsis:

THE EPIC STORY OF ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL EMPIRES IN HISTORY

The mighty Empire of the Moghuls burst out of Central Asia into India in the sixteenth century. The first in a compelling new series of novels, Raiders from the North tells the largely unknown story of the rise and fall of the Mogul dynasties.

It is 1494 when the ruler of Ferghana dies in an extraordinary accident. His only son, Babur, faces a seemingly impossible challenge. Babur is determined to live up to the example of his legendary ancestor, Tamburlaine, whose conquests transformed the face of the earth from Delhi to the Mediterranean, from wealthy Persia to the wildernesses along the Volga. But Babur is dangerously young to inherit a kingdom.

Before Babur can summon enough warlords to declare him the rightful king, plots against his crown, even his life, are hatching. And soon, he will discover that even the bravest and most fearless leader can be betrayed. With the wisest of advisers and most courageous of warriors by his side, Babur can achieve a great destiny and found an empire in India, but every step of his journey will be fraught with danger.

Set in a world of tribal rivalries, rampaging armies, and ruthlessly ambitious enemies, Raiders from the North is historical adventure at its very best.

Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Nonfiction
Your Life, but Cooler
Crystal Velasquez
Synopsis: Have you ever read a story and wondered what you would do in that situation? Would you run into the abandoned house after the killer? Or run screaming from the scene to analyze the whole thing with your friends? Would you be bold enough to flirt with your crush—even though he has a girlfriend? Or would you quietly back off, in hopes of meeting a better guy to crush on?

In Your Life, But Better, you don’t just read a story—you become the story. Take a quick personality quiz at the end of each chapter, and find out how you would act if you were confronted with the scene you just read. Are you star material? Or the queen of romance? What will you learn about yourself?
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Seaglass Summer
Anjali Banerjee
Synopsis:  
Eleven-year-old Poppy Ray longs to be a veterinarian, but she's never had a pet. This summer, she's going to spend a month with her uncle Sanjay, veterinarian and owner of the Furry Friends Animal Clinic on an island off the Washington coast.
 
Poppy is in for big surprises. She loves tending to the dogs, cats, and even a bird, and she discovers the fun of newborn puppies and the satisfaction of doing a good job. But she learns that there's more to caring for animals than the stethoscope and cotton swabs in her Deluxe Veterinarian First-Aid Kit. She's not prepared for quirky pet owners, gross stuff, or scary emergencies. With help from a boy named Hawk, a chunk of seaglass, and a touch of intuition, Poppy gains a deeper understanding of the pain and joy of working with animals.
 
With warmth and humor, Anjali Banerjee tells the story of a resourceful, determined girl who can't wait to grow up, but begins to realize just how much she has left to discover.
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Little Blog on the Prairie
Cathleen Davitt Bell
Synopsis:

Gen's family is more comfortable spending time apart than together. Then Gen's mom signs them up for Camp Frontier―a vacation that promises the "thrill" of living like 1890s pioneers. Forced to give up all of her modern possessions, Gen nevertheless manages to email her friends back home about life at "Little Hell on the Prairie," as she's renamed the camp. It turns out frontier life isn't without its good points―like the cute boy who lives in the next clearing. And when her friends turn her emails into a blog, Gen is happily surprised by the fanbase that springs up. But just when it seems Gen and family might pull through the summer, disaster strikes as a TV crew descends on the camp, intent on discovering the girl behind the nationwide blogging sensation―and perhaps ruining the best vacation Gen has ever had.

Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Amigas: Fifteen Candles
Veronica Chambers
Synopsis: Summer has arrived in Miami and that means quinceanera season. With an internship at the mayor's office, Alicia isn't giving much thought to anything but work. But after meeting Sarita, a new girl in town, on the first day of the job, Alicia ends up volunteering to help organize Sarita's quince. She also volunteers her friends. Soon Alicia is drowning in preparation and turning into a quincezilla--and it isn't even her party! But there is just so much to do--there are shoes to be bought, dances to choreograph, and then there is Gaz. He is being flirtier than usual with Alicia and she's not sure what to do. It seems like Alicia is dangerously close to losing her friends...and her mind!  Will she learn to trust her amigas and rock the party?
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Fairy Godmother Academy
Andrea Burden, Jan Bozarth
Synopsis: For girls who are fans of Harry Potter and have outgrown the Disney Fairies series and the American Girl books, the Fairy Godmother Academy is the perfect series—fantasy books filled with magic and adventure but grounded by contemporary girls and issues.

The series boasts an amazing Web site that allows girls to enter the world they visit in the books. There they can do activities both on- and offline, vote for things they'd like to see in the books, and connect with other Fairy Godmother Academy fans.

Kerka Laine is not one to sit around and let things happen to her. She knows from her adventure with her friend Birdie that she comes from a long line of fairy godmothers and that she's destined to start training as a fairy godmother herself. She just hates waiting for the training to begin! When her dreams take her to Aventurine, the place where girls go to unlock their own special kind of magic, Kerka is more than ready. What she is not prepared for is the quest that the fairies give her: She must find her younger sister's voice before the sun rises on a mountain range called the Three Queens.

Kerka loves a challenge, but how can she find something that is invisible? In this second Fairy Godmother Academy book, Kerka begins the dangerous journey that will determine not only her future as a fairy godmother but also the fate of her sisters.

Join the Fairy Godmother Academy!
Visit the Web site for games, activities, and networking with friends!
www.fairygodmotheracademy.com
Publication Date: 05/11/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy

Pages



RECENT BOOK REVIEWS