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Portia's Exclusive and Confidential Rules
Synopsis: Psychoanalytic girl detective Portia Avatar is back on the case! New girl Misty Longfellow, amateur animal rescuer, requests Portia’s help getting to the bottom of why a recently rescued bunny seems so blue. While working with Misty to solve the case of the depressed bunny, Portia unexpectedly gains a new friend and faces drama with her old ones. Portia’s convinced that the biggest mystery is friendship itself and sets out to find some answers, while also still searching for more clues about her missing father, Patch. Anna Hays offers up another sweet, charming story with spirit and heart.
Publication Date: 05/05/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Brand-New Emily
Ginger Rue
Synopsis: Everyone at Wright Middle School knows you should not make an enemy of the uber-clique that fourteen-year-old Emily Wood calls The Daisies. But that's exactly what she has done, and now she's paying the price...until Emily stumbles onto some top-secret gossip about a teen heartthrob and finds herself in the good graces of a top New York PR firm. Now--with an ace publicist in her corner--make way for Brand Em: She's got style, she's got attitude, and her troubles at school are a thing of the past! But no product can stay hot forever, and it isn't long before Emily discovers the limits of brand loyalty.

In her first novel, Ginger Rue captures perfectly the desire to be part of the in-crowd. And while the solution to Emily's problems may be every teen's fantasy, readers will cheer as the once-bullied girl finds her way back to her true self.
Publication Date: 05/05/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Chick Lit
Rooftops of Tehran
Mahbod Seraji
Synopsis: From "a striking new talent"(Sandra Dallas, author of Tallgrass) comes an unforgettable debut novel of young love and coming of age in an Iran headed toward revolution.

In this poignant, eye-opening and emotionally vivid novel, Mahbod Seraji lays bare the beauty and brutality of the centuries-old Persian culture, while reaffirming the human experiences we all share.

In a middle-class neighborhood of Iran's sprawling capital city, 17-year-old Pasha Shahed spends the summer of 1973 on his rooftop with his best friend Ahmed, joking around one minute and asking burning questions about life the next. He also hides a secret love for his beautiful neighbor Zari, who has been betrothed since birth to another man. But the bliss of Pasha and Zari's stolen time together is shattered when Pasha unwittingly acts as a beacon for the Shah's secret police. The violent consequences awaken him to the reality of living under a powerful despot, and lead Zari to make a shocking choice...
Publication Date: 05/05/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Terra Insegura
Stephan Martiniere, Edward Willett
Synopsis: The battle for survival returns to earth in the sequel to the Aurora Award-winning sci-fi adventure Marseguro

Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this "abomination."

But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth's Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe.

But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro's location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.
Publication Date: 05/05/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Dragon's Heart
Jonathon Schmidt, Jane Yolen
Synopsis: Austar IV isn't the planet it once was, and when Jakkin and Akki finally return to the dragon nursery, their homecoming arouses mixed emotions. Together they've survived the insurmountable, and now they can weather the brutal conditions of Dark After and communicate with the dragons they love. But with this knowledge comes responsibility. What they've learned about survival could transform the planet--or, if entrusted to the wrong hands, bring about its destruction. Akki's insistence that she return to the Rokk to finish her training and begin new experiments drives a chasm between her and Jakkin. Suddenly she finds herself in the midst of a political battle that could claim her life. Only Jakkin can save her. If only he could reach her. . . .
Publication Date: 05/04/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Come Juneteenth
Ann Rinaldi
Synopsis: Sis Goose is a beloved member of Luli's family, despite the fact that she was born a slave. But the family is harboring a terrible secret. And when Union soldiers arrive on their Texas plantation to announce that slaves have been declared free for nearly two years, Sis Goose is horrified to learn that the people she called family have lied to her for so long. She runs away--but her newly found freedom has tragic consequences. Includes an author's note.
Publication Date: 05/04/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Jewel Keepers
E.J Bousfield
Synopsis: The first book of a trilogy. A fantasy fiction historical timeslip epic set in the 1st century AD and the present day Britain
Publication Date: 05/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Council of Evil
Andy Briggs
Synopsis:

Jake Hunter is your quintessential bully-tough, mean, and misunderstood. While he likes the power gotten from picking on the nerdy kids, he's sick of his dumb buddies, and he craves some adventure in his dull life. So when he stumbles upon a Web site called Villain.net that lets him download superpowers, he's eager to try out the laser vision and the radioactivity. But when he joins forces with a supervillain named Basilisk, Jake must decide if he truly wants to accept the consequences of being a villain. And of course, little does he know that Hero.com is out there too, recruiting teens for the other side. . . .

Publication Date: 05/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Gringolandia
Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Synopsis: Daniel’s papá, Marcelo, used to play soccer, dance the cueca, and drive his kids to school in a beat-up green taxi—all while publishing an underground newspaper that exposed Chile’s military regime.

After papá’s arrest in 1980, Daniel’s family fled to the United States. Now Daniel has a new life, playing guitar in a rock band and dating Courtney, a minister’s daughter. He hopes to become a US citizen as soon as he turns eighteen.

When Daniel’s father is released and rejoins his family, they see what five years of prison and torture have done to him. Marcelo is partially paralyzed, haunted by nightmares, and bitter about being exiled to “Gringolandia.” Daniel worries that Courtney’s scheme to start a bilingual human rights newspaper will rake up papá’s past and drive him further into alcohol abuse and self-destruction. Daniel dreams of a real father-son relationship, but he may have to give up everything simply to save his papá’s life.

This powerful coming-of-age story portrays an immigrant teen’s struggle to reach his tortured father and find his place in the world.

Publication Date: 05/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Pandora Gets Lazy
Carolyn Hennesy
Synopsis: Pandora is completely distraught after Hera kidnapped her beloved dog Dido, and can barely think about getting to the Atlas Mountains to capture the next evil, Laziness. But with the fate of the world still in her hands, Pandy can't afford to get lazy herself. Full of humor, sharp dialog and cinematic storytelling, Pandora Gets Lazy is another fun adventure in the Pandora series.
Publication Date: 04/30/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
I And I Bob Marley
Tony Medina, Jesse Joshua Watson
Synopsis: Born in the Jamaican countryside in 1945, Bob Marley seemed special from birth. The curious, intuitive boy had an extraordinary gift for absorbing and interpreting the world around him. Influenced by his biracial heritage, his island home, and the injustices he observed in everyday life, Bob went on to become a musician and messenger; a poet and prophet of reggae culture. His music echoed from Jamaica all the way across the globe, spreading his heartfelt message of peace, love, and equality to everyone who heard his songs. Brimming with imagination and insight, I and I Bob Marley, is a multifaceted tribute befitting this international musical legend. Soulful, sun-drenched paintings transport readers to Bob Marley s Jamaica, while uniquely perceptive poems bring to life his fascinating journey from boy to icon.
Publication Date: 04/30/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Biography
Orange Planet
Haruka Fukushima
Synopsis: IT’S RAINING BOYS!

Like a lot of girls, Rui has boy problems. But most girls would be thrilled to have a problem like hers: There are too many boys in love with her! First there’s Taro, the adorable boy next door. Then there’s Eisuke, a teaching intern who’s just too hot to handle. And finally, Kaoru–the one boy who just may hold the key to Rui’s heart!

Includes special extras after the story!
Publication Date: 04/28/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous
Synopsis:

Thirteen-year-old Merilee Monroe maintains a Very Ordered Existence, VOE for short. As long as she keeps up with her minute-by-minute daily schedule, she can avoid the internal trauma caused by change and spontaneity. So when two very distracting newcomers arrive in town, Merilee does her best to ignore them and stick to her plans. But can even a VOE have some room for friendship?

Publication Date: 04/28/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Awakening
Kelley Armstrong
Synopsis:

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

Publication Date: 04/28/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
A Certain Strain of Peculiar
Synopsis: A teenager journeys from shame to strength when she moves to her grandmother’s farm in a story infused with southern spirit and heart.

This is the last time Mary Harold will have a panic attack at school when kids call her "the grossest girl." If Mom won’t move back to Alabama, her thirteen-year-old daughter will just have to drive herself 691 miles to Grandma Ayma’s farmhouse — and a whole new life. With Ayma’s loving support, Mary Harold is soon strong enough to help Bud, the Cherokee farm manager, wrangle the cows, and confident enough to stand up for his daughter, Dixie, a girl with a strain of peculiar that makes her whinny and stamp like a horse to keep the world at bay. Mary Harold still misses her mom, but has started to have dreams of the Black Warrior Forest that are offering clues. As she listens to their message, and to her own heart, she discovers how powerful and surprising the bonds of family can be.
Publication Date: 04/28/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Trouble With Demons
Synopsis: For seeker Raine Benares, a demon infestation on the Isle of Mid couldn't come at a worse time. Already fighting the influence of the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone, Raine discovers she is also magically bonded to a dark mage and a white knight, two dangerous and powerful men on opposing sides.

Turns out, the demons want the key to unlock the Saghred. As a seeker, Raine should be able to find it first. As the axis of light and dark powers, she's a magical cataclysm waiting to happen.
Publication Date: 04/28/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure

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