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Dead Boy
Laurel Gale
Synopsis:

Fans of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book will embrace this darkly funny novel!

Crow isn't like the other kids. He stinks. He’s got maggots. His body parts fall off at inopportune moments. (His mom always sews them back on, though.) And he hasn’t been able to sleep in years. Not since waking up from death.
 
But worse than the maggots is how lonely Crow feels. When Melody Plympton moves in next door, Crow can’t resist the chance to finally make a friend. With Melody around he may even have a shot at getting his life back from the mysterious wish-granting creature living in the park. But first there are tests to pass. And it will mean risking the only friend he’s had in years.
 
Debut author Laurel Gale’s story about friendship fulfilled may be the most moving—and most macabre—yet.
 
Praise for Dead Boy
“A stinky, creepy tale for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“Gale takes readers on a dark and surprisingly funny journey. . . . A great recommendation to middle grade fans of dark humor.” —School Library Journal

Publication Date: 09/29/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
A 52-Hertz Whale
Bill Sommer, Natalie Haney Tilghman
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old James is worried that the young humpback whale he tracks online has separated from its pod, so he emails Darren, the twentysomething would-be filmmaker who once volunteered in James's special education program. Of course, Darren is useless on the subject of whales, but he's got nothing but time, given that the only girl he could ever love dumped him.

Predictably, this thread of emails leads to a lot of bizarre stuff, including a yeti suit, drug smuggling, a graveyard, damaged echolocation, choke holds, emergency dentistry...and maybe ends with something like understanding. See, the thing that binds people together most is their fear that nothing binds them together at all.
Publication Date: 09/01/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Chronicles of the Monster Detective Agency - INITIATIONS
Synopsis:

Middle school sleuths Will Allen and Jeannine Fitsimmons are unmatched when it comes to solving mysteries, but their cleverness cannot save them when monsters begin springing to life all across their town!

But in a fantastic stroke of luck (or IS it?), a mysterious business card appears that summons the Great Monster Detective, Bigelow Hawkins, to teach them how to conquer their fears and defeat the monsters.

Now, in their Baptism of Fire, these newly christened monster detectives must race against time to unravel the clues and uncover the secret of the dreaded HIDDEN BEAST in time to save themselves and their friends from its terrible power!

(Jason Edwards)
Publication Date: 09/01/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
The Wolf Wilder
Katherine Rundell
Synopsis: A girl and the wolves who love her embark on a rescue mission through Russian wilderness in this lyrical tale from the author of the acclaimed Rooftoppers and Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms.

Feo’s life is extraordinary. Her mother trains domesticated wolves to be able to fend for themselves in the snowy wilderness of Russia, and Feo is following in her footsteps to become a wolf wilder. She loves taking care of the wolves, especially the three who stay at the house because they refuse to leave Feo, even though they’ve already been wilded. But not everyone is enamored with the wolves, or with the fact that Feo and her mother are turning them wild. And when her mother is taken captive, Feo must travel through the cold, harsh woods to save her—and learn from her wolves how to survive.

From the author of Rooftoppers, which Booklist called “a glorious adventure,” and Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, which VOYA called “a treasure of a book,” comes an enchanting novel about love and resilience.
Publication Date: 08/25/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
Vampire Ascension: The Vampires of Athens, Book Three
Synopsis: When seventeen-year-old Gertie leaves New York to study abroad in Athens, she learns that vampires and demigods are real and unwittingly becomes a catalyst to an uprising led by Dionysus, lord of the vampires. In this final installment, Gertie, Jeno, and Hector struggle to bring a peaceful resolution to the war in Athens, but any success they make comes at great cost. How many more people must die for freedom and justice? The teens quickly learn that nothing is fair in love and war. Sometimes even love requires a terrible price.
Publication Date: 08/19/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
The Glass Gauntlet
Carter Roy
Synopsis:

Ronan Truelove barely survived his first encounter with his father and the Bend Sinister. Now, he’s determined to become one of the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect thirty-six pure souls crucial to the world’s survival.

Eager to prove he’s got what it takes, Ronan is sent on his first mission with his friends Greta and Sammy to visit a weird-sounding school and take a series of tests called the Glass Gauntlet. Paper and pencils and nerdy scholarship—where’s the life-or-death challenge in that?

But the Glass Gauntlet is actually something much more dangerous: head-to-head competitions against ruthless opponents. Nothing and no one are what they seem. Who can he trust, and who will kill him? Ronan has to figure it out fast because his enemies are multiplying, and soon he will have to pass the ultimate test: facing his father again and standing up to those who threaten not only him and his friends but also the world.

Publication Date: 08/18/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
Reawakened
Colleen Houck
Synopsis: A New York Times Bestseller! 
 
From Colleen Houck, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Curse, comes an epic Egyptian-inspired adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself!
 
   When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.
   
And she really can’t imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe.
   But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

And don't miss new adventures with Lily in the rest of the Reawakened series: Recreated and Reunited!
 
Praise for the Reawakened Series:

"[A] must-read for thrill-seekers and fans of alternate worlds."—RT Book Reviews

"Rick Riordan fans who are looking for another series will delight in this fantasy."—SLJ

"Wonderfully written and…the heart-pounding adventures are topped only by the heart-melting romance."—The Deseret News
 
"A sparkling new novel with a fully imagined world and mythos, and crackling romance! Egyptian mythology has never been this riveting!"—Aprilynne Pike, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wings series, on Reawakened, book one in the series
Publication Date: 08/11/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Adventure
Vango Book Two: A Prince Without a Kingdom
Sarah Ardizzone, Timothee de Fombelle
Synopsis:

International award winner Timothée de Fombelle brings the breathtaking global adventure of Vango to a thrilling conclusion.

Fleeing dark forces and unfounded accusations across Europe in the years between World Wars, a young man named Vango has been in danger for as long as he can remember. He has spent his life running along rooftops, fleeing to isolated islands, and evading capture across Russia, Paris, New York, and Italy. Narrow escapes, near misses, and a dash of romantic intrigue will rivet adventurous teens to their seats as Vango continues to unravel the mysteries of his past. In the shadow of a rapidly changing world, can Vango find those who have hunted him for so long and uncover his true identity?

Publication Date: 08/04/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Old Wolf
Brian Floca, Avi
Synopsis: Hunting—the predator and its prey—is at the heart of this riveting and suspenseful novel from Newbery Medalist Avi with illustrations from Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca.

In the computer game world of Bow Hunter—thirteen-year-old Casey’s world—there are no deaths, just kills. In Nashoba’s world—the wolf world—there have been no kills. For this is March, the Starving Time in the Iron Mountain region of Colorado, when wolves and ravens alike are desperate for food.

With the help of a raven, the miraculous Merla, Nashoba must lead his pack of eight to their next meal. The wolf hates being dependent on a mere bird, but Merla is a bird wise beyond her years.

When Casey’s path crosses Nashoba’s, the worlds of two very different hunters collide.
Publication Date: 08/04/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
The Galaxy Pirates - Hunt for the Pyxis
Synopsis: Ordinary kids are introduced to an extraordinary galaxy full of pirates, monkeys, and other colorful creatures—both human and otherwise—in this first book of this “absolutely action-packed” (School Library Journal) fantasy-adventure trilogy.
 
On the night Emma Garton’s supposedly boring parents are kidnapped, she is forced to face the truth that they’ve been lying to her about many things. The most important of which? They aren’t even from planet Earth.
 
To find her mom and dad, Emma and her best friend, Herbie, must leave Earth and enter the Strands—the waterways of space, where huge galleons ply the intergalactic seas. But a journey through the constellations won’t be easy—not with every scoundrel in the galaxy determined to find them.
 
In this interstellar adventure, YALSA Alex Award–winning author Zoë Ferraris transports readers to a vast magical universe filled with fantastical creatures, merciless villains, and fearless heroes.


Praise for THE GALAXY PIRATES: HUNT FOR THE PYXIS

"[A]bsolutely action-packed. This first book in a trilogy will keep kids reading in order to find out what happens next." –School Library Journal
 
"This book will have an audience and will appeal to younger fans of Dave Barry's Peter and the Starcatchers." —Booklist
Publication Date: 08/04/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
Gang of Sleuths
PV Lundqvist
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old millionaire Tony Pandy solves mysteries from the seat of his wheelchair. Not because he wants to, but because he has to. Losing his home if he doesn't. This time Tony has to find out why the Hindenburg disaster happened. "Because it was a big ole bomb-bag," Tony said. "See, solved. Now I don't have to miss lunch." "Like you'd eat it," his health aide replied. "Besides, maybe it's not that simple." And it's not. Tony will have to face a fear he didn't know that he had-and find out more about the mysterious trust that controls his fortune. Then there's the problem of having squatters on the estate, one of whom just might be the love of Tony's life. On top of that? She brought her boyfriend. As if the mystery wasn't trouble enough. Book 2 of The Tony Pandy Mysteries.
Publication Date: 08/03/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Dark Hunter - Ship of Death
Nelson Evergreen, Benjamin Hulme-Cross
Synopsis: A ghost ship comes from nowhere. Anyone who goes on board never comes back. Can Mr. Blood stop it before it kills again?
Publication Date: 08/01/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
First Man
Simon Schwartz
Synopsis: In this graphic novel, Simon Schwartz weaves biography and fiction together to explore the life of Arctic adventurer Matthew Henson. Moving between different time periods and incorporating Inuit mythology, Schwartz offers fresh perspective on the many challenges Henson confronted during his life. As a member of early missions to reach the North Pole, Henson braved subzero temperatures and shifting sea ice. As an African American at the turn of the twentieth century, he also faced harassment and prejudice. Henson won a place on Arctic expeditions through skill and determination--though he didn't receive the same credit as his teammates. He also won the respect of the native peoples he met during his journeys--though he couldn't prevent the harm that the expeditions caused them. More than a biography, First Man: Reimagining Matthew Henson is an artistic homage to Henson's accomplishments and the complicated realities of being a trailblazer in a society that didn't recognize black men as equals.
Publication Date: 08/01/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
The Golden Specific
S. E. Grove
Synopsis: The eagerly-awaited sequel to the best-selling The Glass Sentence -- a historical, fantastical adventure perfect for fans of Philip Pullman!

It is the summer of 1892, one year since Sophia Tims and her friend Theo embarked upon the dangerous adventure that rewrote the map of the world. Since their return home to Boston, she has continued searching for clues to her parents’ disappearance, combing archives and libraries, grasping at even the most slender leads. Theo has apprenticed himself to an explorer in order to follow those leads across the country—but one after another proves to be a dead end.
            Then Sophia discovers that a crucial piece of the puzzle exists in a foreign Age. At the same time, Theo discovers that his old life outside the law threatens to destroy the new one he has built with Sophia and her uncle Shadrack. What he and Sophia do not know is that their separate discoveries are intertwined, and that one remarkable person is part of both.
            There is a city that holds all of the answers—but it cannot be found on any map. Surrounded by plague, it can only be reached by a journey through darkness and chaos, which is at the same time the plague’s cure: The Golden Specific.
Publication Date: 07/14/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure
Iron and Blood
Larry Martin, Gail Z Martin
Synopsis: Adventure in New Pittsburgh...

New Pittsburgh, 1898 – a crucible of invention and intrigue. Born from the ashes of devastating fire, flood and earthquake, the city is ruled by the shadow government of The Oligarchy. In the swarming streets, people of a hundred nations drudge to feed the engines of progress, while in the abandoned tunnels beneath the city, supernatural creatures hide from the light, emerging only to feed.  

Jake Desmet and Rick Brand travel the world to secure treasures and unusual items for the collections of wealthy patrons, accompanied by Jake’s cousin, Veronique LeClerque. But when their latest commission leads to Jake’s father’s murder, the three friends are drawn into a conspiracy where dark magic, industrial sabotage and the monsters that prey on the night will ultimately threaten not just New Pittsburgh, but the whole world.
Publication Date: 07/07/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Weird Space: The Baba Yaga
Eric Brown, Una McCormack
Synopsis: The growing threat of the Weird has driven the Expansion to paranoia and oppression. Mandatory testing for infection is introduced, and the colony Braun's World - following reports of a new portal opening - is purged from orbit, at an unimaginable cost in lives.

Delia Walker, a senior analyst in the Expansions's intelligence bureau, protests the new policies and is drummed out. Desperate for a sign of hope, she charters the decrepit freighter the Baba Yaga and heads into Satan's Reach, following rumours of a world where humans and the Weird live peacefully side by side.
Hunted by the Bureau, Walker, her pilot Yershov, and Failt – a Vetch child stowaway, fleeing slavery – will uncover secrets about both the Weird and the Expansion; secrets that could prevent the seemingly inevitable war...
Publication Date: 06/30/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure

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