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Avril Crump and Her Amazing Clones
Synopsis: In Angela Woolfe's spectacularly funny debut novel, Avril Crump, the bumbling but lovable scientist embarks on a series of unexpected adventures with her newfound friends--who happen to be clones!

Avril Crump, female scientist, is bald, pink, and round, with a weakness for sweets, whose greatest love of all is chemistry, science, the quest for knowledge, and using that chemistry to fix the world's ills. But one day, while Avril is helping herself to a yummy snack, she accidentally stumbles upon a scientific experiment gone awry. When her uncle's old chemistry set collides with a mysterious metal trunk, three clones are created in the accidental explosion. And with this laboratory accident, Avril's adventure begins. She must save her new friends, the clones, from their own creator.
Publication Date: 03/01/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Waterless Sea
Kate Constable
Synopsis: The sequel to the critically acclaimed THE SINGER OF ALL SONGS draws readers even deeper into the magical world of Tremaris -- and presents a temptation Calwyn may not be able to overcome. . . .

The second novel in the captivating Chanters of Tremaris trilogy follows Calwyn and her friends to the desolate Merithuran Empire. As they search for a group of kidnapped children who have the gift of chantment, they must negotiate both the unforgiving desert and the even more treacherous Palace of Cobwebs, where they uncover the dreadful secret that holds the Empire together. Meanwhile, Darrow has broken away from the group to form a new alliance of his own. Can he still be trusted? In this book, Calwyn's quest for peace and justice has greater consequences than she ever could have imagined.
Publication Date: 03/01/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Wizard Test
Hilari Bell
Synopsis:

Dayven has passed the test he wanted most desperately to fail -- he's been proven to have the powers of a wizard.

He had promised never to become one of the deceitful, disloyal sorcerers who believe in nothing and alter people's true destinies -- but now he has no choice. Thrown into an apprenticeship with a roguish wizard, Dayven discovers that loyalty and trust are never simple, and wizards are more deceptive than he could ever imagine.

The path that was once clear -- his friendships, his future, his destiny -- is now shadowed with dangerous twists and turns, and the world he knows must change forever.

Publication Date: 02/15/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Dark Hills Divide
Patrick Carman
Synopsis: An extraordinary debut weaving magic and heroism into a classic tale of good and evil, featuring a heroine you'll never forget.

Inquisitive twelve-year-old Alexa Daley is spending another summer in the walled town of Bridewell. This year, she is set on solving the mystery of what lies beyond the walls. Legend says the walls were built to keep out an unnamed evil that lurks in the forests and The Dark Hills. But what exactly is it that the townspeople are so afraid of?
As Alexa begins to unravel the truth, pushing beyond the protective barrier she's lived behind all her life, she discovers a strange and ancient enchantment -- and exposes a danger that could destroy everything she holds dear.
Publication Date: 02/01/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Bone
Jeff Smith
Synopsis: The first book in Jeff Smith's New York Times bestselling, award-winning graphic novel series featuring an unlikely hero who must save an idyllic valley from the forces of evil.

After being run out of Boneville, the three Bone cousins -- Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone -- are separated and lost in a vast, uncharted desert. One by one, they find their way into a deep, forested valley filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures. Eventually, the cousins are reunited at a farmstead run by tough Gran'ma Ben and her spirited granddaughter, Thorn. But little do the Bones know, there are dark forces conspiring against them and their adventures are only just beginning!


 
Publication Date: 02/01/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Road of Silk
Matt Afsahi, Barbara Dysonwilliams
Synopsis: The Road of Silk is a fantasy novel that chronicles the adventures of Queen Yasamin of Gwendomere. The young queen is forced to marry King Amir, who threatens her weak yet peaceful kingdom. In exchange for the protection of her people, Yasamin begins her long journey to the dark land of Dragonval to marry Amir. The journey is overtaken with trials and tribulations Yasamin has never known, and then met in Dragonval by the jealous and murderous first wife Medusimia. Only through the Road of Silk will Yasamin learn of her true origin and rid the kingdom of evil once and for all.
Publication Date: 01/15/05
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
Synopsis:
Publication Date: 05/06/25
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
11,000 Years Lost
Peni R. Griffin
Synopsis: Fascinated with the archaeological dig that is going on near her Texas home, eleven-year-old Esther magically travels back in time to the Pleistocene era and discovers first-hand how people lived at that time.
Publication Date: 11/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Burning
Kathryn Lasky
Synopsis: Soren and his band are sent to the mysterious Northern Kingdoms to gather allies and learn the art of war in preparation for the coming cataclysmic battle against the sinister Pure Ones. Meanwhile, in the Southern Kingdoms, St. Aggies has fallen to the Pure Ones and they are using its resources to plan a final invasion of The Great Ga'Hoole Tree. With the future of all Owldom in the balance, the parliament of Ga'Hoole must decide whether or not to join forces with the brutal Skench and Sporn and the scattered remnants of St. Aggies who remain faithful to them. A great battle is on the
Publication Date: 11/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Doctor Illuminatus
Martin Booth
Synopsis: After accidentally waking an alchemist's son from a long, long sleep, Tim and Pip befriend their new friend Sebastian and work with him to stop his recently awakened enemy from going forth with his evil deed of making a human man out of dead materials.
Publication Date: 10/06/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Children Of The Lamp
P.B. Kerr, P. B. Kerr
Synopsis: You can tell from the very first page that P. B. Kerr had great fun writing his novel, The Akhenaten Adventure. The way the author introduces his cleverly named characters, the atmospheric setting, the fun tone of his narration--all indicate that a hugely entertaining story is in store. The first installment of his Children of the Lamp sequence is set firmly in the present day, but it soon breaks away and encompasses several wonderfully colorful parts of the globe, England and Egypt included.

John and Philippa Gaunt, two twelve-year-old not-very-identical twins, live a privileged life on the Upper East of Manhattan with their wealthy parents and two curiously-mannered Rottweilers named Alan and Neil. The twins realize there's something amiss with their world when a string of strange things begin to happen after their wisdom teeth are extracted--they dream the same dreams, become stronger, their zits clear up, and wishes wished in their presence inexplicably come true. And, when their estranged Uncle Nimrod asks them to come to England for the summer during one such shared dream, the discovery of their destiny is set in motion.

John and Phillippa discover that they are descended from a long line of Djinn, have great inherent powers. They must call on these powers a lot sooner than they anticipated, though, because the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten is not as dead as history has so far declared and his legion of seventy magical djinn could tip the balance of power in the magical realm and affect the whole world order.

P.B. Kerr, under his given name Philip Kerr, is the author of several bestselling thrillers for adult readers. His debut novel for children is a slick, zeitgeisty fantasy adventure that is sure to win him a new raft of fans. The Blue Djinn of Babylon is next up for those who get hooked. (Age 10 and over) --John McLay

Publication Date: 10/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
To Light A Candle
James Mallory, Mercedes Lackey
Synopsis: In The Outstretched Shadow, which was named by VOYA as Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror book for 2003, Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory introduced readers to a complex new fantasy world populated by humans, centaurs, elves, talking unicorns, and demons. The Golden City of the Bells, where only humans live, is ruled by the Mage Council, practitioners of High Magic---a powerful magic that is stable and reliable, though rigidly controlled and performed only by men. Outside the City's walls, humans and magical beings mix freely and call upon Wild Magic---a system sometimes erratic, always driven by desire and need, and performed by both men and women.

Now, in To Light a Candle, the Demon Queen sends her forces against her human and elven enemies, sowing distraction and death. In the human City, the Queen's agents work to divide the Council and foment rebellion among the City's citizens. In the countryside, they target the most vulnerable and valuable---the young Elf Prince and the Wild Mages who might be the Demons' most dangerous enemies.

To his own surprise, young Kellen, once the disappointing son of the great Mage who leads the City's Mage Council, has become a powerful Knight-Mage. Valued for his bravery and his skills as both wizard and warrior, Kellen joins the Elves' war councils. Yet he cannot convince the City of his birth that it is in terrible danger.

Kellen's sister Idalia, a Wild Mage with great healing ability, has pledged her heart to Jermayan, a proud Elven warrior. Someday Idalia will pay a tragic Price for a world-saving work of Wild Magic, but until then, she will claim any joy life can offer her. Jermayan, who has learned much while fighting at Kellen's side and loving the human Idalia, finds that everything changes when he Bonds with a dragon while rescuing the Elf Prince and becomes the first Elven Mage in a thousand years.

Furious at her enemies' success with the dragon, the Demon Queen attacks in force. Light struggles against Dark, like flickering candleflames buried deep in the shadow of Obsidian f0 Mountain.
Publication Date: 10/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Into The Abyss
David Marsh
Synopsis: When a being from an undersea civilization telepathically reaches into the mind of fourteen-year-old Ashlyn Miller, pleading for help, the boy finds himself embarking on a deep-sea journey that could change the world as we know it. A first novel.
Publication Date: 10/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
The Secret Shelter
Sandi LeFaucheur
Synopsis: Excavating a World War II air-raid shelter by their school leads to a trip back in time for Sophie Pinkerton and her friends, Marina and Quigs, and having to face the London Blitz.
Publication Date: 09/30/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Predator's Gold
Philip Reeve
Synopsis: After their airship is attacked by the Green Storm, Tom and Hester find themselves in the icy city of Anchorage and now have to fight their way out of the plaque-infested city filled with thieves and savages before the Huntsman of Arkangel makes his next appearance in this dramatic sequel to Mortal Engines.
Publication Date: 09/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Spy High Mission Three: The Serpent Scenario
Synopsis: When a deadly drug that turns its users into blood-craving zombies hits the streets of America, every agent in Spy High is assigned to discover its source. But one member of the Bond Team won't be joining in because of private business--the business of revenge.
Publication Date: 09/01/04
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy

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