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Soldier Mom
Alice Mead
Synopsis:

Jasmyn Williams is shocked and angry when her mother, a member of the Army Reserve, is called up for service during the Persian Gulf War. While Jas comes to understand that her mother has to do her job, she wonders, should a mother have a job that might require abandoning her children?

"Jasmyn's ready for her big seventh-grade season in basketball . . . when her home life bounces out of control . . . There's an emotional impact here that will resound with other youngsters making sacrifices." – The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Publication Date: 03/31/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Color of Earth
Dong Hwa Kim, Dong Hwa Kim
Synopsis:

First love is never easy.

Ehwa grows up helping her widowed mother run the local tavern, watching as their customers – both neighbors and strangers – look down on her mother for her single lifestyle. Their social status isolates Ehwa and her mother from the rest of the people in their quiet country village. But as she gets older and sees her mother fall in love again, Ehwa slowly begins to open up to the possibility of love in her life.

In the tradition of My Antonia and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, from the pen of the renowned Korean manwha creator Kim Dong Hwa, comes a trilogy about a girl coming of age, set in the vibrant, beautiful landscape of pastoral Korea.

Publication Date: 03/31/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Chasing Romeo
A.J. Byrd
Synopsis:

Best Friends Forever—that's Anjenai, Kierra and Tyler. Growing up together in an Atlanta housing project, the girls have always been there for each other. But high school is a whole new world, and the drama is just beginning….

Anjenai, Kierra and Tyler believe their bond is strong enough to survive anything. Anything—except maybe Romeo Blackwell, the finest guy and a star athlete in their new high school. What starts out as a small fan club soon becomes a huge competition. And to win, Anjenai, Kierra and Tyler will have to be down for whatever.

Things start to get seriously crazy. And with all the drama, can the girls' friendship survive when Romeo finally makes his choice?

Publication Date: 03/31/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Night Watchman
J. L. Manning
Synopsis: This story takes place in any city where there is street crime, street racing, and underground fighting. There is a young man that was in a car accident as a child and was left with physical limitations. Over these years a speech impairment and self-doubt because of how people now saw him left him lonely. A technology that he found did help him gain abilities that he never had and he wanted to use these abilities to help out his city. The abilities that he gained improved and the side effects gave him abilities that he was learning to take advantage of. He started to investigate a criminal that he had found that got him involved in some tight spots. He gained the most unlikely of friends that got him involved with underground activities. His confidence grew, but when the time comes will he do the right thing?
Publication Date: 03/30/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte
Synopsis: Jane Eyre is the story of a small, plain-faced, intelligent, and passionate English orphan. Jane is abused by her aunt and cousin and then attends a harsh charity school. Through it all she remains strong and determinedly refuses to allow a cruel world to crush her independence or her strength of will. A masterful story of a woman's quest for freedom and love. Jane Eyre is partly autobiographical, and Charlotte Brontë filled it with social criticism and sinister Gothic elements. A must read for anyone wishing to celebrate the indomitable strength of will or encourage it in their growing children.
Publication Date: 03/26/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Horse Diaries: Elska
Ruth Sanderson, Catherine Hapka
Synopsis: Iceland, circa AD 1000

Elska is a silver dapple Icelandic filly. She spends summers frisking about the countryside and winters in the farmyard, where the girl human Amma takes special care of her. But when a powerful neighbor notices Elska, her contented life suddenly changes. Here is Elska’s story . . . in her own words.


From the Hardcover edition.
Publication Date: 03/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet
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.
Publication Date: 03/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Stepping Up
Mark Fink
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: Fiction
Negima!? Neo 1
Takuya Fujiyama, Ken Akamatsu
Synopsis: Boy Wizard!

Negi Springfield is ten years old . . . and a powerful wizard! This boy wizard is the greatest prodigy ever to graduate from his magic school in England. After graduation, however, Negi’s given an unusual assignment: teach English at an all-girl school in Japan. Now Negi has to find a way to deal with his thirty-one totally gorgeous–and completely overaffectionate–students . . . without using magic! Based on the Negima! anime, this is a fresh take on the beloved Negima! story.

Includes special extras after the story!
Publication Date: 03/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Running For My Life
Ann Gonzalez
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: Fiction
The Masters
Alicia Alex
Synopsis: Welcome to the world of a whole new race of Vampires, The Master Vampires! Join Amadio, Aura and their Master Seti and many others as they live out their lives together through the passing ages. Fall in love with Amadio and Aura who prove that true love for Vampire kind is more than just a fairytale. Laugh along with the playfulness of these lovable Vampires. Shake in fear as they are forced into circumstances to end their eternal love and sometimes even their lives. It's Vampires as you've never seen them before. Welcome the Master Vampires, Masters of the Vampire race.
Publication Date: 03/21/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Wintergirls
Laurie Halse Anderson
Synopsis: “Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

Publication Date: 03/19/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The King's Rose
Alisa Libby
Synopsis: Life in the court of King Henry VIII is a complex game. When fifteen-year-old Catherine Howard catches the king?s eye, she quickly transforms from pawn to queen. But even luxury beyond imagination loses its luster as young Catherine finds her life?and her heart?threatened by the needs of an aging king and a family hungry for power. Will their agendas deliver Catherine to the same fate as her infamous cousin, Anne Boleyn?sacrificed at the altar of family ambition?

Engaging historical fiction with a throbbing YA heartbeat, this thrilling novel will draw readers into the intrigues and dangers of the Tudor court.

Publication Date: 03/19/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
L.A. Summer
Sheryl Mallory-Johnson
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: Chick Lit
Going Too Far
Jennifer Echols
Synopsis: All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over....

Book Details:Format: PaperbackPublication Date: 3/17/2009Pages: 245Reading Level: Age 12 and Up

Publication Date: 03/17/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Amaranth Enchantment
Synopsis:

When Lucinda Chapdelaine was a small child, her parents left for the royal ball and never returned. Ever since, Lucinda has been stuck in perpetual servitude at her evil aunt's jewelry store. Then, on the very same day, a mysterious visitor and an even more bizarre piece of jewelry both enter the shop, setting in motion a string of twists and turns that will forever alter Lucinda's path.

In this magical story filled with enchanting surprises, Lucinda will dance at the royal ball, fall under the Amaranth Witch's spell, avenge her parents' death, restore justice to a town that does not yet know the corrupt danger around them, and maybe - just maybe - Lucinda might capture the heart of a prince.

Publication Date: 03/15/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure

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