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Landry Park
Bethany Hagen
Synopsis: “Downton Abbey” meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal

Sixteen-year-old Madeline Landry is practically Gentry royalty. Her ancestor developed the nuclear energy that has replaced electricity, and her parents exemplify the glamour of the upper class. As for Madeline, she would much rather read a book than attend yet another debutante ball. But when she learns about the devastating impact the Gentry lifestyle—her lifestyle—is having on those less fortunate, her whole world is turned upside down.  As Madeline begins to question everything she has been told, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty—her family and the estate she loves dearly—and desire.

Fans of Ally Condie, Kiera Cass, Veronica Roth, and even Jane Austen will be enthralled by this breathtaking read.
Publication Date: 02/04/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
CHRISSIE'S RUN
S.A. Mahan
Synopsis: In the repressive New Republic, the right to life does not exist. Such life matters are decided at special clinics called Parlors where abortion is mandatory if the unborn baby is a second daughter or is deemed defective in any way. Chrissie, sixteen and unwed, receives the terrible news from the Parlor. 'It is deformed, dear," the redheaded woman with green eyes tells Chrissie, as if she is giving her the time of day. 'It is missing its right foot, part of its right hand, and it probably has a mental deficiency.' That means mandatory abortion for Daniel, and sterilization for Chrissie and her boyfriend, Jason. Chrissie knows that Daniel is her baby's name. He is Daniel in the lion's den, because: 'That is what the voice calls him, the voice that whispers to me in my mind late at night when I am drifting away into sleep. I try to picture what a lion's den might look like. If it is as bad as what I picture, Daniel is definitely in it.' Tomorrow is abortion day for Chrissie and she decides, like her aunt before her, to run. That will make her an enemy of the state (it does not even help that her father is high up in the government) and, if she survives, an imprisoned felon. Chrissie will stop at nothing to save her baby. She searches for a mysterious place called Haven. Government police and specialists known as closers relentlessly hunt for her. But she will have unexpected help. Guides will appear to help her, with names like Moses, Samson, Angel and Dragon. These guides are gifted in many different ways, exceptional deadly fighters, and willing to risk everything to lead runners to safety. The closers are just as gifted in their own way, Hydra, Medusa, Medea, Goliath and: 'His name is Stingray, Chrissie,' Moses whispers with fear in his eyes as they hide in the mangroves along the beach, 'he is a very special closer, the baddest of the bad, and he's here for you!' What follows is an incredible action filled escape where Chrissie must come of age and stand by her choice to save her baby. Prepare to be swept toward an unimaginable conclusion in this non-stop, page turning thriller.
Publication Date: 02/04/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Twisted (Volume 1)
Brittany Hawes
Synopsis: TWISTED won for best book in the 2013 Young Author Contest by Deep Sea Publishing. It is part 1 of the Twisted series by Brittany Hawes. Street-smart and sassy Lola Phillips has never had it easy. An orphan at the age of eight and a high school dropout at the age of 16, Lola’s only concerns in life are making it to the next day while living on Skid Row and seeking out her missing parents. When a mysterious man approaches her with a tempting offer to help her find out what happened to her parents, she agrees. Her agreement: To take on the name of Harlot Rue and become his personal agent and assassin. Easy, right? Lola takes her new job and is propelled into a world she had no idea existed underground. Welcome to H Corporation, a secret organization burrowed miles beneath the earth, hidden away from the rest of the world. Their goal is to maintain peace throughout the world and they need people like Lola Phillips to do so. Unfortunately, being a teenaged girl comes with the same problems no matter where you are—even miles underground. Enter infuriatingly handsome and haughty Retro, a fellow agent whose main mission seems like it may be to make Lola fall madly in love with him. It’s up to Lola to stay grounded enough to do what she came to do. But finding her parents won’t be as easy as she’s expecting, especially when there’s another organization who would do anything, including murder, to stop her.
Publication Date: 02/02/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Mystery
Penny Hike
Bobby S. Richardson
Synopsis: Fin O'Connell was repeatedly abused by his mother's brother, Uncle Steve.  He made the decision to finally end the abuse at the beginning of his seventh grade year.  While sitting anxiously at home waiting for his mother to return, Fin conjured up the courage to finally reveal the abuse he suffered at the hands of his uncle.  Fin's mother arrived home and before he could explain to her about the abuse, his mother revealed to him devastating news about her life--she had terminal cancer.

But Fin wasn't about to give up on himself.   With Fin's two best friends, Joey and Penny, by his side, they took penny hikes through the streets of Somerville, Massachusetts. Fin pushed doggedly ahead into the unknown as life kept throwing him challenges, from facing down a bully to coping with the devastating effects of his mother's terminal cancer.  Can Fin find redemption during a troubled and confusing time in his life?

Penny Hike is a story of hope, resolve, and digging deeper than you thought possible.  It's a story about finding strength, and ultimately persevering in life, even when your soul has been murdered.  Penny Hike delves into the unpredictable world of adolescence and the traumatic effects of abuse.
Publication Date: 01/31/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Taking the Reins
Katrina Abbott
Synopsis: Brooklyn Prescott (if that’s even her real name) is the new girl at The Rosewood Academy for Academic Excellence, now that she’s moved back to the States after two years living in London. Rosewood, a boarding school for children of the rich and famous and known for its celebutantes, is missing just one element important to any junior’s education: boys. But luckily for Brooklyn, and the rest of the Rosewood girls, there’s a boys’ boarding school, The Westwood Academy, just a few miles away. On her very first day, Brooklyn meets Will, a gorgeous and flirty boy on campus to help with move in. But is he who she thinks he is? And what about Brady, the cute stable boy? Or Jared, the former child actor with his grown-up good looks who can always make her laugh? As Brooklyn settles in at Rosewood, she’s faced with new friends, new challenges and new opportunities to make herself into the girl she always wanted to be. Whoever that might be. Taking The Reins is the first installment of The Rosewoods, an exciting new Young Adult series for readers who love fun, flirty love stories.
Publication Date: 01/30/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
The Queen's Choice
Cayla Kluver
Synopsis:

Magic was seeping out of me, black and agonizing. I could see it drifting away. The magic that would let me pass the Road to reach home again.

When sixteen-year-old Anya learns that her aunt, Queen of the Faerie Kingdom of Chrior, will soon die, her grief is equaled only by her despair for the future of the kingdom. Her young cousin, Illumina, is unfit to rule, and Anya is determined not to take up the queen's mantle herself.

Convinced that the only solution is to find Prince Zabriel, who long ago disappeared into the human realm of Warckum, and persuade him to take up his rightful crown, Anya journeys into the Warckum Territory to bring him home. But her journey is doomed to be more harrowing than she ever could have imagined….

Publication Date: 01/28/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Heartbeat
Elizabeth Scott
Synopsis: oes life go on when your heart is broken?  

 

Since her mother's sudden death, Emma has existed in a fog of grief, unable to let go, unable to move forward—because her mother is, in a way, still there. She's being kept alive on machines for the sake of the baby growing inside her.  

Estranged from her stepfather and letting go of things that no longer seem important—grades, crushes, college plans—Emma has only her best friend to remind her to breathe. Until she meets a boy with a bad reputation who sparks something in her—Caleb Harrison, whose anger and loss might just match Emma's own. Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death—and maybe, for love?
Publication Date: 01/28/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Timestorm
Julie Cross
Synopsis:

"Cross's zippy writing and fresh plot are an exhilarating combination." ―Publishers Weekly

The battle between the Tempest Division and Eyewall comes to a shocking conclusion in Timestorm―the final installment of Julie Cross's Tempest trilogy, where the need for survival stretches the boundaries of history, both past and future, and the world Jackson Meyer once knew is a place forever marked by the detrimental effects of time travel.

As Jackson recovers from his brush with death, he's surrounded not only by the people he loves most―his dad, Courtney, and Holly―he's also among a few of the original time travelers. As he learns more about their lives and how this world began, it becomes apparent that they need to put a stop to Thomas and Dr. Ludwig's experimenting at Eyewall Headquarters. What starts out as an escape plan becomes a war between time and humanity, between free will and peace. It's the battle Jackson was born to fight and he's not about to back down. Not for anything. Not for anyone.

Publication Date: 01/28/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Moby Dick
Herman Melville
Synopsis: Moby-Dick (1851) is the sixth book by American writer Herman Melville. The work is an epic sea-story of Captain Ahab's voyage in pursuit of Moby Dick, a great white whale. It initially received mixed reviews and at Melville's death in 1891 was remembered, if at all, as a children's sea adventure, but now is considered one of the Great American Novels and a leading work of American Romanticism. The opening line, "Call me Ishmael," is one of the most recognizable opening lines in Western literature. Ishmael then narrates the voyage of the whaleship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. Ahab has one purpose: revenge on Moby Dick, a ferocious, enigmatic white whale which on a previous voyage destroyed Ahab's ship and severed his leg at the knee. The detailed and realistic descriptions of whale hunting and the process of extracting whale oil, as well as life aboard ship among a culturally diverse crew, are mixed with exploration of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God.
Publication Date: 01/23/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Secrets in Stone
Cecilia Johnson
Synopsis: I terminated contract with this publisher.
Publication Date: 01/21/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Stormbringer
Shannon Delany
Synopsis:

In the intrigue-filled follow up to Weather Witch, Jordan Astraea, once a young Philadelphia lady of good social standing, is now in the final stages of her brutal training to become a Conductor―the Weather Witch who serves as a living battery to keep the massive airliner Artemesia aloft. Meanwhile, Rowen, determined to rescue her after losing his only other true friend and being wanted for murder, has found himself forced aboard a much different air vessel, this one manned by a dangerous crew and carrying a cargo so treasonous, that, if finding its destination, will herald a storm of revolution for the still young United States.

With a spirit for adventure, romance, fantastic world building and cunning imagination, Shannon Delany delivers the sensational follow up to Weather Witch in Stormbringer, the second book of the trilogy.

Publication Date: 01/14/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
The Rise of Renegade X
Chelsea M Campbell
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Damien Locke has a plan: major in messing with people at the local supervillain university and become a professional evil genius, just like his supervillain mom. But when he discovers the shameful secret she's been hiding all these years, that the one-night stand that spawned him was actually with a superhero, everything gets messed up. His father's too moral for his own good, so when he finds out Damien exists, he actually wants him to come live with him and his goody-goody superhero family. Damien gets shipped off to stay with them in their suburban hellhole, and he has only six weeks to prove he's not a hero in any way, or else he's stuck living with them for the rest of his life, or until he turns eighteen, whichever comes first. To get out of this mess, Damien has to survive his dad's "flying lessons" that involve throwing him off the tallest building in the city--despite his nearly debilitating fear of heights--thwarting the eccentric teen scientist who insists she's his sidekick, and keeping his supervillain girlfriend from finding out the truth. But when Damien uncovers a dastardly plot to turn all the superheroes into mindless zombie slaves, a plan hatched by his own mom, he discovers he cares about his new family more than he thought. Now he has to choose: go back to his life of villainy and let his family become zombies, or stand up to his mom and become a real hero.
Publication Date: 01/10/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Into the Wilderness
Mandy Hager
Synopsis: Into the Wilderness First published in New Zealand by Random House New Zealand, 2010.
Publication Date: 01/07/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Freedom Maze
Delia Sherman
Synopsis: "Multilayered, compassionate, and thought-provoking." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Thirteen-year-old Sophie isn’t happy about spending the summer of 1960 at her grandmother’s old house in the bayou. Bored and lonely, she can’t resist exploring the house’s maze, or making an impulsive wish for a fantasy-book adventure with herself as the heroine. What she gets instead is a real adventure: a trip back in time to 1860 and the race-haunted world of her family’s Louisiana sugar plantation. Here, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation is still two years in the future and passage of the Thirteenth Amendment is almost four years away. And here, Sophie is mistaken, by her own ancestors, for a slave.
Publication Date: 01/07/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Zombie Rule Book: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide
Synopsis: Rules and tips for surviving the zombie apocalypse. The following information may save your life. This book is designed to fit perfectly in your bug-out bag! If you are prepared for the zombie apocalypse you are prepared for anything! Throughout this book you will learn how to survive in the event of a zombie apocalypse and learn how to be a survivor! Use the following information to your advantage. Think like a survivor - when the zombie apocalypse descends upon us you will be a few steps ahead of the rest. Read, re-read, practice and apply, train hard and always think smart, you are a born survivor. This book of zombie survival rules will be a great asset to anyone preparing themselves for the zombie apocalypse.
Publication Date: 01/07/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The True Adventures of Nicolo Zen
Nicholas Christopher
Synopsis: A richly detailed historical novel from master storyteller Nicholas Christopher that School Library Journal calls “[A] lush tale of music, magic, and intrigue”!
 
Nicolò Zen is all alone in 1700s Venice, save for his clarinet, which a mysterious magician had enchanted, allowing its first player to perform expertly. Soon Nicolò is a famous virtuoso, wealthy beyond his dreams, but he can’t stop wondering if he earned the success himself—or what might happen if the spell were removed. And throughout it all, he continues to think about the girl he met in Venice, what she might be doing and if she’s safe from harm. 

With a guest appearance by composer Vivaldi, and brimming with fascinating period details, this is a compelling coming-of-age story full of universal themes and a love story that will conjure memories of Romeo and Juliet, perfect for teens who love stories set in other times, and a magician who dresses all in white and can be in two places at once. . . .
Publication Date: 01/07/14
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Nonfiction

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