Please enable JavaScript
All Books | Page 229 | LitPick Book Reviews
All Books
A Rumor of Dragons
Michael A. Heald
Synopsis: Book by Michael A. Heald
Publication Date: 01/10/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
After Tupac and D Foster
Jacqueline Woodson
Synopsis: A Newbery Honor Book

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

The day D Foster enters Neeka and her best friend’s lives, the world opens up for them. D comes from a world vastly different from their safe Queens neighborhood, and through her, the girls see another side of life that includes loss, foster families and an amount of freedom that makes the girls envious. Although all of them are crazy about Tupac Shakur’s rap music, D is the one who truly understands the place where he’s coming from, and through knowing D, Tupac’s lyrics become more personal for all of them.

The girls are thirteen when D’s mom swoops in to reclaim D—and as magically as she appeared, she now disappears from their lives. Tupac is gone, too, after another shooting; this time fatal. As the narrator looks back, she sees lives suspended in time, and realizes that even all-too-brief connections can touch deeply.



Publication Date: 01/10/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Biography
Endless Quest
Bruce Algozin
Synopsis: You are charged with carrying a message to stop dragons from attacking your village. With your brother you must travel to the Ayrie before the evil red dragon convinces the other dragons to attack!

Updated for today's young readers, this action-packed series allows readers to jump right into their very own fantasy adventure.
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Dragon Maze
Jean Rabe, Andre Norton
Synopsis: Shy realizes that she is lucky to be taken in by her grandparents after her father dies–but life above an antique store in Slade’s Corners, Wisconsin is not exactly the place a teenage girl wants to be.
 One day while going through boxes of her father’s boyhood stuff, she comes upon a rare old set of dragon puzzles … all of which are missing pieces. Her grandmother recalls the fantastic tales Shy's father would tell about his travels to lands of dragons and adventure. She always thought that these fantasies were inspired by the puzzles Shy has found.
 Shy realizes that by mixing and matching the different sets she can complete a single dragon puzzle that combines all of the others. Upon doing so she is whisked away to ancient Babylon where she must continue the duties of her father’s legacy as a servant to the dragon and a savior of the world.
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Runemarks
Joanne Harris
Synopsis: Seven o’clock on a Monday morning, five hundred years after the end of the world, and goblins had been at the cellar again. . . . Not that anyone would admit it was goblins. In Maddy Smith’s world, order rules. Chaos, old gods, fairies, goblins, magic, glamours–all of these were supposedly vanquished centuries ago. But Maddy knows that a small bit of magic has survived. The “ruinmark” she was born with on her palm proves it–and makes the other villagers fearful that she is a witch (though helpful in dealing with the goblins-in-the-cellar problem). But the mysterious traveler One-Eye sees Maddy’s mark not as a defect, but as a destiny. And Maddy will need every scrap of forbidden magic One-Eye can teach her if she is to survive that destiny.
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used To Call
Synopsis: BEING DUMPED HURTS. But you know what? It happens to everyone. Even Gwyneth, even Cameron, even Madonna have been on the losing end of love. The part you might not believe is that no matter how brutally your heart’s been broken, those wounds will heal. But the longer you dwell on the dork, the longer your heart will remain cracked. Enter 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend. One day at a time, 30 days in a row. At the end, you’ll find you have the power to yank that dagger out of your chest, stand tall, walk proud, and move on. And along the way, you may just discover something marvelous and surprising about yourself.
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Dragons of Babel
Michael Swanwick
Synopsis: A fantasy masterpiece from a five-time Hugo Award winner! A war-dragon of Babel crashes in the idyllic fields of a post-industrialized Faerie and, dragging himself into the nearest village, declares himself king and makes young Will his lieutenant. Nightly, he crawls inside the young fey's brain to get a measure of what his subjects think. Forced out of his village, Will travels with female centaur soldiers, witnesses the violent clash of giants, and acquires a surrogate daughter, Esme, who has no knowledge of the past and may be immortal. Evacuated to the Tower of Babel -- infinitely high, infinitely vulgar, very much like New York City -- Will meets the confidence trickster Nat Whilk. Inside the Dread Tower, Will becomes a hero to the homeless living in the tunnels under the city, rises as an underling to a politician, and meets his one true love–a high-elven woman he dare not aspire to. You've heard of hard SF: This is hard fantasy from a master of the form.
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
How Not to be Popular
Jennifer Ziegler
Synopsis: Maggie Dempsey is tired of moving all over the country. Her parents are second-generation hippies who uproot her every year or so to move to a new city. When Maggie was younger, she thought it was fun and adventurous. Now that she’s a teenager, she hates it. When she moved after her freshman year, she left behind good friends, a great school, and a real feeling of belonging. When she moved her sophomore year, she left behind a boyfriend, too. Now that they’ve moved to Austin, she knows better. She’s not going to make friends. She’s not going to fit in. Anything to prevent her from liking this new place and them from liking her. Only . . . things don’t go exactly as planned.
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Opposite of Invisible
Synopsis: Alice and Jewel have been best friends since grade school. Together, they don’t need anyone else, and together they blend into the background of high school. Invisible. To Alice, Jewel is the opposite of invisible. Jewel is her best friend who goes to Indie concerts and art shows with her. Jewel scoffs at school dances with her. Alice is so comfortable around Jewel that she can talk to him about almost anything. But she can’t tell him that she likes the cool, popular Simon. And then Simon asks her to the school dance the same day that Jewel kisses her for the first time. Still, she can’t say no to Simon. He seems like the easy choice, the one she’s attracted to, the one she’s ready for. But will it mean losing Jewel? In a bright debut novel set against the lively backdrop of Seattle, Alice must learn the difference between love and a crush, and what it means to be yourself when you’re not sure who that is yet.
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
The Celebutantes: In The Club
Antonio Pagliarulo
Synopsis: The school year’s almost over, and Madison, Park, and Lexington Hamilton are ready to trade in their Birkin bags for bikinis. But before vacation comes work, and the triplets have plenty of it. Cleopatra, the newest, hottest, and most expensive club in Manhattan, is opening–and it just happens to also be Hamilton Holdings’ latest business venture. The girls must throw the party to end all parties. But this is one opening the sisters won’t soon forget. Before the night ends, the body of a classmate is found with a bloody wound on the side of his head. At first glance, the case appears to be open-and-shut. But the girls smell trouble. They know the murderer is still out there, and they’re willing to bet their sizable inheritance that the police won’t be able to unravel the mystery. Murder is so out, but until this crime is solved, it’s arrivederci Italia. And the Hamilton sisters simply won’t accept that as an option.
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Three Little Words
Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Synopsis: "Sunshine, you're my baby and I'm your only mother. You must mind the one taking care of you, but she's not your mama." Ashley Rhodes-Courter spent nine years of her life in fourteen different foster homes, living by those words. As her mother spirals out of control, Ashley is left clinging to an unpredictable, dissolving relationship, all the while getting pulled deeper and deeper into the foster care system.

Painful memories of being taken away from her home quickly become consumed by real-life horrors, where Ashley is juggled between caseworkers, shuffled from school to school, and forced to endure manipulative,humiliating treatment from a very abusive foster family. In this inspiring, unforgettable memoir, Ashley finds the courage to succeed - and in doing so, discovers the power of her own voice.
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Red Dragon Codex
R.D. Henham
Synopsis: For fans of The New York Times best-selling A Practical Guide to Dragons, a new series of fantasy fiction focusing on the power of dragonkind.

The Dragon Codices chronicle adventures with each of ten dragons of Krynn. From the fiery, evil red dragon to the playful copper, each dragon's tale is unique. Sindri Suncatcher, narrator of A Practical Guide to Dragons, shared these tales from his travels with library scribe R.D. Henham.

Mudd lives a peaceful life in his small town, tinkering with the mill and any mechanical devices that he can find. But his peaceful life soon changes when, out of nowhere, a red dragon attacks, burning the town and kidnapping Shemnara, the village seer. Only one clue is left behind--a cryptic note telling Mudd, "Seek the silver dragon."
Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Fan's Guide to The Spiderwick Chronicles
Synopsis:

For fans of The Spiderwick Chronicles comes the ultimate unauthorized guide to the facts behind Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's world. This new book by Lois Gresh takes young readers beyond the creepy and captivating fairy world of The Spiderwick Chronicles and answers the burning questions kids have been aching to know. With illustrations, quizzes, facts, and mythology, The Fan's Guide to The Spiderwick Chronicles will provide hours of fun.

Digging deep into history, legend, and lore, this magical guide helps fans enjoy their favorite series as they never have before. This is the perfect gift for that young reader who can't get enough of the series or wants to find out what the excitement is all about.

 

Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Comet's Curse
Dom Testa
Synopsis:

In the gripping start to this young adult science fiction adventure series by popular Colorado radio host Dom Testa, the teenage crew of the starship Galahad must find a new home for humanity among the stars--if they fail, it will be the end of the human race....

When the tail of the comet Bhaktul flicks through the Earth's atmosphere, deadly particles are left in its wake. Suddenly, mankind is confronted with a virus that devastates the adult population. Only those under the age of eighteen seem to be immune. Desperate to save humanity, a renowned scientist proposes a bold plan: to create a ship that will carry a crew of 251 teenagers to a home in a distant solar system. Two years later, the Galahad and its crew―none over the age of sixteen―is launched.

Two years of training have prepared the crew for the challenges of space travel. But soon after departing Earth, they discover that a saboteur is hiding on the Galahad! Faced with escalating acts of vandalism and terrorized by threatening messages, sixteen-year-old Triana Martell and her council soon realize that the stowaway will do anything to ensure that the Galahad never reaches its destination. The teens must find a way to neutralize their enemy. For if their mission fails, it will mean the end of the human race….

Publication Date: 01/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
American  Fringe
Valerie Frankel
Synopsis: Spring has arrived, and everything's coming up roses. Not only is Adora Benet madly in love with Nate, she's landed her own teen advice column in he local paper. When her response to an anonymous letter-writer prompts a senator to run for president, Adora's column becomes the headlines. The media frenzy introduces Dora to the candidate's charming son, Toby, whose larger-than- life personality is distracting her from Nate, just when things are heating up.

Despite her newfound celebrity, Adora the advice queen can't help her friends, Eli and Liza, patch things up. Maybe the cute barista at the local coffee shop can do his part by serving Eli a spring fling that will make her forget all her troubles...
Publication Date: 01/02/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Boxcar Kid
Norma Charles
Synopsis:

Runner-up for the 2009 Chocolate Lily Book Award and commended for the 2009 Best Books for Kids & Teens

In 1909, 13-year-old Luc Godin arrive in British Columbia from Quebec only to discover that the house they thought they’d move into hasn’t been built. So the Godins have to make due with living in a railway boxcar with three other families.

Luc’s father and the many other newcomers to the Fraser Valley have come to work in the lumber industry. Their new home still has vestiges of the wilderness, and Luc and his family find find pioneering life difficult, especially as French speakers in a world of English. Luc’s father, who becomes a teamster in one of the many lumber mills, is old-fashioned. Horses are what he knows, while Luc has an eye for the modern, particularly the new-fangled bicycles and occasional automobiles.

However an accident with a bicycle has profound consequences for Luc and highlights the clash between the old and the new, the settled East and the brash frontier.

Publication Date: 01/02/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Pages



RECENT BOOK REVIEWS