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Raven's Gate
Anthony Horowitz
Synopsis: The internationally bestselling author of STORMBREAKER and EAGLE STRIKE plunges strikingly into Stephen King territory in this chilling first installment in a powerful new series.

Matt is being punished for a crime he saw, but didn't commit. Instead of being locked up, he is being sent to the middle of nowhere to live with a new foster mom, as part of a government scheme called The Leaf Project. But Matt's new home provides anything but peace and quiet. His new guardian is involved in very sinister things . . . and the whole town seems to be on her side. Everybody who tries to help Matt winds up disappearing . . . or dead. The truth is much bigger than Matt or the town -- but Matt is the only person who can stop the ultimate evil from being unleashed.
Publication Date: 06/01/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Cloud Chamber
Joyce Maynard
Synopsis: When his father shoots himself and ends up blind, Nate Chance’s world is thrown into a tailspin as the members of his family retreat from reality, but not wanting to become the tragedy’s next victim, Nate sets his sights on winning the science fair by building the cloud chamber that he and his father had planned to do before everything went wrong.
Publication Date: 05/31/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Far from Burden Dell
Chris Coppel
Synopsis: Amy, a pampered young Golden Retriever, is stolen by ruthless smugglers from her home in rural England and taken to a grim London prison. A bold escape with her fellow prisoners--a weepy but learned Spaniel, two stalwart Dobermans, a vain Afghan, and an ingenious Yorkshire Terrier, takes the friends through the perils of London, from crossing busy streets, escaping a vicious pack of rats in the pitch-black London Underground, rushing from Harrod's Food Court, running over London Bridge, hiding out in Hyde Park, to racing from the guards at Buckingham Palace, always pursued by their criminal captors. But can the courageous, often terrified, friends escape recapture and their grim prison, as well as capture by the police--and possibly the dog pound--to find their way home? Ages 10 and up.
Publication Date: 05/30/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Sugar Rush
Julie Burchill
Synopsis:

"Oh, I,m not your friend." My savior looked surprised. "It's just that this is MY school. I'm Maria Sweet -- Sugar. If you get bullied, it'll be when I say so."

When Kim has to transfer from her posh school to Ravendene Comprehensive, the notoriously violent local school, she's scared -- but then she meets Maria Sweet, better known as Sugar. Sugar is beautiful and wild, the queen bee of Ravendene, and Kim falls under her spell.

They're gorgeous party girls, envied and admired by everyone. But as Kim leaves her good-girl past far behind, she realizes she's falling in love -- with her best friend.

Funny, sexy, and provocative, this is a compulsively readable first novel for young adults by Britain's most famous and controversial journalist.

Publication Date: 05/24/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Girls Dinner Club
Jessie Elliot
Synopsis:

The love of Junie's life for the past year is suddenly acting like a crazed puppy.

Celia's dad has found the most ridiculous woman in all of Manhattan—and decided, after fifteen years of being single, to date her.

Danielle's hot-guy-in-a-band ex-boyfriend is trying to convince her that he's "changed."

Sometimes living life is a recipe for disaster.

Sometimes, girls just have to make their own recipes.

Publication Date: 05/24/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Chick Lit
Horseman
Ford Lytle Gilmore, Christopher Golden
Synopsis:

New to Sleepy Hollow, teens Aimee and Shane Lancaster find that upon theirarrival an ancient curse has been unleashed upon the town, tracing back to the town's famous legend, which just might be more truth than myth. Now an array of evil demons is after them, with the infamous Headless Horseman leading the pack.

Publication Date: 05/19/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Paranormal
Alice On Her Way
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Synopsis: Excited about her sixteenth birthday, finally being able to drive, and kissing her boyfriend without braces, Alice feels like she will be practically an adult in a matter of months, yet when she is forced to attend a class on sexuality at the local church by her father, Alice comes to realize that being an adult isn’t actually based on a driver’s license.
Publication Date: 05/17/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Surfer Girl
Sanoe Lake, Steven Jarrett
Synopsis: Surfing is back and bigger than ever, with girls now hitting the waves in unprecedented numbers. Girls who just wanna be cool know that surfing is the way to do it-while having fun and getting into great shape at the same time. But becoming a surfer isn't just figuring out how to stand up on a board; it's how to walk the walk and talk the talk, how not to flop out of your top, and knowing how to deal with one of the biggest hazards of the sea-boys in the water. It's also about learning patience, discipline, focus, and perseverance. Jam-packed with full-color photos, dynamic graphics, comics, and instructional art, surfer girl Sanoe Lake's comprehensive guide not only teaches style, skills, and safety-it empowers readers with all of the sassy wit and attitude that made Sanoe a favorite character in the cult flick Blue Crush.
Publication Date: 05/13/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Educational
Cirque du Freak: Killers of the Dawn
Synopsis: Outnumbered, outsmarted and desperate, the hunters are on the run, pursued by the vampaneze, the police, and an angry mob. With their enemies clamoring for blood, the vampires prepare for a deadly battle. Is this the end for Darren and his allies?
Publication Date: 05/11/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
The Sledding Hill
Chris Crutcher
Synopsis:

Billy Bartholomew has an audacious soul, and he knows it. Why? Because it's all he has left. He's dead.

Eddie Proffit has an equally audacious soul, but he doesn't know it. He's still alive.

These days, Billy and Eddie meet on the sledding hill, where they used to spend countless hours -- until Billy kicked a stack of Sheetrock over on himself, breaking his neck and effectively hitting tilt on his Earthgame. The two were inseparable friends. They still are. And Billy is not about to let a little thing like death stop him from hanging in there with Eddie in his epic struggle to get his life back on track.

Publication Date: 05/10/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Nice Girls Don't Get Rich : 75 Avoidable Mistakes
Synopsis: If you have outstanding balances on your credit cards...don't have assets in your own name...are saving instead of investing, then chances are you're not rich and not living the life you want. Without your awareness, behaviors learned as a girl are preventing you from becoming a woman who is financially independent and free to follow her dreams. Now, with the same frank advice and empowering information that made Nice Girls Don't Get the Comer Office a bestseller, Lois Frankel tackles the 75 financial mistakes that keep women from having the wealth they deserve. She isolates the messages about money given to little girls that little boys never hear. Then she helps you discover the financial thinking that is keeping you stuck in old patterns, dependent relationships, and jobs where you earn less than you deserve. Once you get to the root of the problem, Frankel helps you solve it-with fabulous results. Her coaching tips help you take control of your finances and make more money than you ever thought possible. Do you make these "nice girl" mistakes? * Mistake #4: Not playing to win. Being polite, quiet, and fair to a fault is playing the financial game "like a girl." * Mistake #10: Choosing to remain financially illiterate. Knowledge is power. Learn to manage your major purchases, investments, and banking. * Mistake #20: Spending as an emotional crutch. Understand your emotions; don't make purchases just to lift your spirits. * Mistake #45: Saving instead of investing. Fear can keep your funds in low-interest accounts. Get educated about investing. Get wealthy. Frankel gives you the financial savvy to change negative behaviors, make smart money choices, and embrace the life you want sooner than you think.
Publication Date: 05/10/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Educational
Warriors: The New Prophecy: Midnight
Synopsis: Darkness, air, water, and sky will come together...

The wild cats of the forest have lived in peace and harmony for many moons -- but a doom that will change everything is coming. Strange messages from their warrior ancestors speak of terrifying new prophecies, danger, and a mysterious destiny.

All the signs point to young warrior Brambleclaw as the cat with the fate of the forest in his paws. But why would the son of wicked cat Tigerstar be chosen to be a hero? And who are the other cats mentioned in the prophecy? All Brambleclaw knows for sure is that the strength and courage of the greatest warriors will be needed now, as the quest to save the Clans begins.

...and shake the forest to its roots.
Publication Date: 05/10/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Arthur and the Minimoys
Synopsis: Luc Besson, writer, director and producer of The Fifth Element and La Femme Nikita, makes his children's book debut with this over-the-top middle-grade fantasy first published in France.

Ten-year-old Arthur and his grandmother are doing just fine on their own -- except for that Grandpa has been missing in Africa for four years and a developer villain is evicting them from their own house. Things sour further when antique dealers haul away all of Grandpa's priceless African artifacts and books. Arthur is certain that his grandfather must have left some hidden message somewhere that will reverse their current downward spiral. He hopes to discover some way to enter the world of the beautiful, red-haired, blue-eyed African Princess Selenia that he saw in his grandfather's sketches; member of a tiny (less-than-an-inch-tall) tribe called the Minimoys that he suspects might live in Grandma's garden. But how, when Grandpa's attic has been stripped of clues?

Besson's story contains many of the elements of a good, suspenseful children's adventure, but it is often over told, employs an abundance of facile plot solutions, and loses threads and themes in a long, dizzying action-adventure sequence that abruptly ends as "to be continued." Still, it's hard to resist a likeable hero-protagonist, treasure maps, the promise of rubies, and a land of warring tiny people. Let the hype begin! The sequel Arthur and the Forbidden City is due in fall 2005, and Arthur, a computer-animated movie based on the books, is due out in 2006, with Madonna voicing the part of Princess Selenia. (Ages 8 to 12) --Karin Snelson

Publication Date: 05/10/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Forest Of The Pygmies
Margaret Sayers Peden, Isabel Allende
Synopsis:

Alexander Cold knows all too well his grandmother Kate is never far from an adventure. When International Geographic commissions her to write an article about the first elephant-led safaris in Africa, they head -- with Nadia Santos and the magazine's photography crew -- to the blazing, red plains of Kenya. Days into the tour, a Catholic missionary approaches their camp in search of his companions who have mysteriously disappeared. Kate, Alexander, Nadia, and their team, agreeing to aid the rescue, enlist the help of a local pilot to lead them to the swampy forests of Ngoubé. There they discover a clan of Pygmies who unveil a harsh and surprising world of corruption, slavery, and poaching.

Alexander and Nadia, entrusting the magical strengths of Jaguar and Eagle, their totemic animal spirits, launch a spectacular and precarious struggle to restore freedom and return leadership to its rightful hands.

The final installment of Isabel Allende's celebrated trilogy of the journeys of Jaguar and Eagle soars with radiant settings, spirits, beings -- and the transformation of an extraordinary friendship.

Publication Date: 05/10/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last
Synopsis:

deAR gooSE,

Thank you for your letter. Too bad you won't be able to write. I guess you'll be too busy moving on. Me too. First of all, I'm quite busy socially. Very busy socially. Plus, my screenwriting is really taking off. I'm basically in discussions with some people. Producer-types. You know. They say moviemaking is the new novel writing. I'm pretty much on the vanguard of that whole thing.

Thanks for the memories.

Alice

I'm not sure that quite captures my emotional state. A more accurate reflection of how I feel would have been:

Dear Goose,

AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alice Heart-Torn-into-Small-Pieces-and-Then-Thrown-Away MacLeod

Publication Date: 05/10/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Center of the World
Alisa Jaffa, Andreas Steinhofel
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Phil has felt like an outsider as long as he can remember. All Phil has ever known about his father is that he was Number Three on his mother’s long list—third in a series of affairs that have set Phil’s family even further apart from the critical townspeople across the river. As for his own sexuality, Phil doesn’t care what the neighbors will think; he’s just waiting for the right guy to come along.

But Phil can’t remain a bystander forever. Not when he’s surrounded by his mother, Glass, who lives by her own rules and urges Phil to be equally strong; his sister, Dianne, who is abrupt and willful, with secrets to share; his uncle Gable, a restless mariner, defined by his scars; his best friend, Kat, who is generous but possessive. And finally, there is distant Nicholas, with whom Phil falls overwhelmingly in love—until he faces the ultimate betrayal and must finally find his worth . . . and place in the world.
Publication Date: 05/10/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction

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