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Utah: Book Two
Tanja Bauerle, Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley
Synopsis: Announcing the second book in a series about an RV living homeschooling family. Each month brings the Wright family to a new state with a new educational theme to explore and play with. They prove that learning can happen all the time, anywhere, and that being with family is fun! Meet Aidan Wright, age 7: Boisterous and joking all the time, this sporty boy knows how to have fun! Meet Nadia Wright, age 11: Curious and fiery, this intellectual girl can always find out answers to even the most difficult questions. Meet their parents, Harrison and Stephanie: Ready to take their kids on adventures of a lifetime. Meet Prince Pumpkin III, turtle extraordinaire: This 50 year old little guy is holding on tight, as the family RV and mysterious device take him on an adventure no turtle has ever gone on before. Explore a dinosaur dig with the Wrights as they roadschool in Utah. What will Aidan and Nadia discover about the mysterious device they found in Arizona? This series is Wright on Time.
Publication Date: 11/23/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Misfit McCabe
L K Gardner-Griffie
Synopsis: Stuck in bed with a book and a broken ankle, Katie McCabe must deal with her anger toward the town bully who put her there and the grief of losing her father, her home, her friends and life as she knew it before her world fell apart. The tragic death of her father is the reason she's now living with her Uncle Charley and three overprotective cousins. While plotting revenge against the bully, Katie is outraged to be warned to keep quiet about how she got the broken ankle. Her new family tries to make her comfortable by sharing parts of their own past as Katie tries to fit in but it's cousin Sarah who has to try to keep Katie in bed and watch over her when a love interest from school comes calling. Despite her new family's good intentions, Katie feels like an outsider. Will she ever fit in? To Katie, Nowhere Feels Like Home.
Publication Date: 11/23/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
A Forest Through The Trees
Thomas M. Wilkinson
Synopsis: A hilarious year-in-the-life view of a woodland community that kick-starts on Groundhog Day. The toe moths return wreaking havoc on a community filled with antlers, unclers, stepasiders, humblebees, sneezing trees and more. Can you tell a window from a windon't? A pillowcaser from flutterby? What happens when an inchworm meets a centipede? A tale overflowing with wordplay, tongue-twisters, puns and poems,
Publication Date: 11/17/09
Age Level: Any Age
Genre: Fiction
Shadowland
Alyson Noël
Synopsis:

Enter the realm of the Immortals―the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Alyson Noël that's been acclaimed as breathtaking, mesmerizing, flawless and extraordinary.

Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives―and fought off the world's darkest enemies―so they could be together forever. But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen…one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death―plunging Damen into the Shadowland. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick―and gets help from an unexpected source…a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She's always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love―and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever's connection with Jude grows stronger―and tests her love for Damen like never before…

Publication Date: 11/17/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Silver Anklet
Mahtab Narsimhan
Synopsis:

What if the only way to get rid of your worst enemy was to sacrifice your brother?

When hyenas snatch Taras brother, Suraj, and two other children from the local fair in Morni, Tara and her newfound companions decide to rescue them on their own. Tara soon discovers that Zarku, her nemesis with the third eye, is back and intent on revenge.

A deadly game of hide and seek ensues, and Tara and her companions must work together to survive. But it is soon clear that Zarku is only after Tara; the others are dispensable.

Should Tara risk the lives of her friends? Or can she once again defeat Zarku and save her brother, armed only with belief in herself and a silver anklet?

Publication Date: 11/16/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Prairie Winter
Bonnie Geisert
Synopsis:

The Cresbard school means a lot to sixth grader Rachel Johnson. It means classes with a beloved teacher, important band rehearsals for the upcoming concert in Chicago, and time to hang out with Winnie and Darren and the rest of the town kids. For a twelve year-old living on a remote prairie farm with no phone, school means connection. And that connection is about to be severed. The most dangerous winter that Rachel has ever known is about to descend on Cresbard, marooning her on the farm and keeping her from the school she so desperately loves.

Then, in a surprising turn of events, Rachel’s dad agrees to fly his three oldest daughters to town so they can continue the school year. Rachel will be boarding in a hotel with no parents, no rules, and no chores. Her choice of desserts every night, two-stepping with Darren Baxter at the school dance . . .will Rachel ever be able to return to farm life after this?

Publication Date: 11/16/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Tremain Book One: The Seven Faiths
Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Sheldrak stands at the gateway of manhood. When he steps through, he will be embarking on an epic adventure, the like of which the world has seldom, if ever, seen. Like all good people in his land, Sheldrak is determined to live by the Seven Faiths of Strepsay. But he little realises that he has been chosen to defend the Faith, and the very cause of good itself, against the evil of the Grey One, Essdark. He will not be alone, but at the head of a band of diverse but united warriors for truth. They, like the Faiths, will be seven in number. But who will they be, and can Sheldrak, a mere youth, recognise them and persuade them to risk all? What unfolds is a tale of spirits, giants, emperors and even a chirpy Londoner who finds himself transformed into a talking wolf in a whole new world. This gripping, pacy, energetic and often comic novel is the first in a four-part saga.
Publication Date: 11/13/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Shadowmask
Geno Salvatore, R.A. Salvatore
Synopsis: Cross swords with a blue-skinned pirate and unravel the mystery of the masked spellcaster in this second book of the Stone of Tymora trilogy!

Though robbed by a masked spellcaster and left for dead by a demon, twelve-year-old Maimun refuses to give up the magic that rightfully belongs to him. After reuniting with dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden and Captain Deudermont's crew, Maimun sets off on a sea-faring chase that will test both the strength of his spirit and of his friendships. As perilous storms rock Sea Sprite and vicious pirates bombard its decks, a mysterious force gathers in the Moonshaes, determined to bring Deudermont's ship - and Maimun's quest - crashing to an end on its shores.

In this second book of the Stone of Tymora trilogy, R.A. Salvatore and his son Geno continue their gripping tale of coming-of-age in a world filled with magic, featuring a cameo of R.A. Salvatore's signature character Drizzt Do'Urden.
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Claim To Fame
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Synopsis: Lindsay Scott hit the big time at age five, when she became the star of the television show "Just Me and the Kids." It seemed like she was set for life--until she had a nervous breakdown when she was eleven, because Lindsay had suddenly developed a very dangerous sense of ESP--the ability to hear what anyone was thinking about here, at any time, anywhere in the world. Lindsay's father whisked her away to her long-gone mother's house in small town Springdale, and Lindsay was amazed to discover that within the four walls of the house, she can't hear anything out of the ordinary. And so Lindsay has stayed hidden in the house, safe from other people's thoughts, doing her best to stay out of sight and let the world forget her.

When the tabloids print a "where are they now" story about her, claiming that Lindsay's maniacal father has kept her imprisoned in her house for the past five years, a couple of well-meaning teens attempt to "rescue" Lindsay. For the first time in five years, Lindsay is outside the protective quiet of her house. And that's when she hears the one voice she never expected to hear: her mother's.

When she discovers that perhaps her mother didn't leave voluntarily, she has a choice to make: will she risk everything to find the truth about her past--and the source of her ability?
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Kitchen Princess
Natsumi Ando, Miyuki Kobayashi
Synopsis: For all the fans who can’t get enough of the smash hit manga Kitchen Princess–a thrilling new prose story of romance and adventure!

Najika faces a new challenge, and it may be her toughest one yet. Before their tragic accident, her parents, both famous pastry chefs, made a promise to the grandmother of a classmate of Najika’s: to duplicate a white cake the elderly woman once tasted abroad as a teenager. Now Najika hopes to re-create the cake herself.

With so few clues (it’s fluffy and heavenly) and so many possibilities, the trial and error might just go on forever. But Najika refuses to give up–for one reason: She knows that all great masterpieces contain a distinct magic: a secret ingredient called love.

Najika will need lots of it to make the wishes of Anju’s grandmother–and certain other classmates–come true. And who knows? With so much amour in the air, Najika might just find a little left over for herself!
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Grk Smells A Rat
Joshua Doder
Synopsis: A perfect middle-grade adventure for the same fans as Alex Rider readers.

Tim Malt; his parents; his dog, Grk; and his friends Natascha and Max Raffifi have just arrived in India. They are all set to see the famous sights and watch Max compete in a tennis tournament. But after meeting a boy named Krishnan, they learn about the Blue Rat Gang, a group that enslaves children. Krishnan needs help to rescue his sister from a cruel life of forced labor, and Tim and Grk are up to the challenge. Racing against time, Tim and Grk are chased through dark alleys only to find themselves face-to-face with the infamous leader inside the Blue Rats’ headquarters. Can they foil his evil plans before it’s too late?

Praise for the Grk books:
“Pure adventure fun.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Crackles with Doder’s crisp prose and absurdist sensibility . . . [a] wildly engaging story.”—Time Out NY Kids
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
The Giant-Slayer
Iain Lawrence
Synopsis: A girl’s imagination transports polio-afflicted kids into a fantastic world.

The spring of 1955 tests Laurie Valentine’s gifts as a storyteller. After her friend Dickie contracts polio and finds himself confined to an iron lung, Laurie visits him in the hospital. There she meets Carolyn and Chip, two other kids trapped inside the breathing machines. Laurie’s first impulse is to flee, but Dickie begs her to tell them a story. And so Laurie begins her tale of Collosso, a rampaging giant, and Jimmy, a tiny boy whose destiny is to become a slayer of giants.

As Laurie embellishes her tale with gnomes, unicorns, gryphons, and other fanciful creatures, Dickie comes to believe that he is a character in her story. Little by little Carolyn, Chip, and other kids who come to listen, recognize counterparts as well. Laurie’s tale is so powerful that when she’s prevented from continuing it, Dickie, Carolyn, and Chip take turns as narrators. Each helps bring the story of Collosso and Jimmy to an end—changing the lives of those in the polio ward in startling ways.
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Raven Summer
David Almond
Synopsis: A captivating new novel from Printz Award winner David Almond.

Liam and his friend Max are playing in their neighborhood when the call of a bird leads them out into a field beyond their town. There, they find a baby lying alone atop a pile of stones—with a note pinned to her clothing. Mystified, Liam brings the baby home to his parents. They agree to take her in, but police searches turn up no sign of the baby’s parents. Finally they must surrender the baby to a foster family, who name her Allison. Visiting her in Northumberland, Liam meets Oliver, a foster son from Liberia who claims to be a refugee from the war there, and Crystal, a foster daughter. When Liam’s parents decide to adopt Allison, Crystal and Oliver are invited to her christening. There, Oliver tells Liam about how he will be slaughtered if he is sent back to Liberia. The next time Liam sees Crystal, it is when she and Oliver have run away from their foster homes, desperate to keep Oliver from being sent back to Liberia. In a cave where the two are hiding, Liam learns the truth behind Oliver’s dark past—and is forced to ponder what all children are capable of.
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Scurvy Goonda
Chris McCoy
Synopsis: One can’t just give up an imaginary pirate without seriously weird consequences.

In Book One of this two-part story, an endearing misfit embarks on an amazing adventure in search of his friend Scurvy Goonda, an outrageous invisible pirate with an insatiable love for bacon.

Part friendship story, part madcap adventure, readers who love stories in which almost-ordinary kids travel to fantastical lands and become heroes will revel in the imaginative landscape and characters featured in this original debut. While adventure-loving vegetarians will find much to savor, this is a must-read for all who love bacon—which plays a key role in the story’s sizzling climax!
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Blessing's Bead
Debby Dahl Edwardson
Synopsis:

Nutaaq and her older sister, Aaluk, are on a great journey, sailing from a small island off the coast of Alaska to the annual trade fair. There, a handsome young Siberian wearing a string of cobalt blue beads watches Aaluk "the way a wolf watches a caribou, never resting." Soon his actions―and other events more horrible than Nutaaq could ever imagine―threaten to shatter her I~nupiaq world. Seventy years later, Nutaaq's greatgranddaughter, Blessing, is on her own journey, running from the wreckage of her life in Anchorage to live in a remote Arctic village with a grandmother she barely remembers. In her new home, unfriendly girls whisper in a language she can't understand, and Blessing feels like an outsider among her own people. Until she finds a cobalt blue bead―Nutaaq's bead―in her grandmother's sewing tin. The events this discovery triggers reveal the power of family and heritage to heal, despite seemingly insurmountable odds.

Two distinct teenage voices pull readers into the native world of northern Alaska in this beautifully crafted and compelling debut novel.

Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Brothers Story
Katherine Sturtevant
Synopsis: Teenage twins Kit and Christy have grown up amid grinding poverty in their Essex village. As Christy has been “simple” from birth, Kit is literally his brother’s keeper. But the latest hardships visited upon their country home by the Great Frost of 1683–84 bring Kit to frustration and despair, and he abandons Christy to make his way to London, seeking to better himself. There he finds work as an apprentice to a struggling artist and much else to take his mind off what he has left behind. But the time comes when he can no longer ignore the problem of his brother.

A fascinating portrait of a young person struggling to balance family and freedom, The Brothers Story is also a frank depiction of Restoration London in its bawdy, raucous glory.
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction

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