All Books
Synopsis: Molly McGarry is about to learn that the only thing more traumatizing than spending six months trapped in your boyfriend’s head is being stuck inside your ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend’s head. After Molly dumps Gideon because she thinks he’s lusting after some one else, a game of spin the bottle leads to a kiss between Gideon and the beautiful, sexy Pilar Benitez-Jones. Somehow, the kiss knocks Molly out of Gideon’s head—and right into Pilar’s. Now she’s desperate to get Gid back. She uses all her “superpower” to try come between Pilar and Gid, but instead of breaking them up, she seems to be bringing them closer together. Can she stand to be at school with Gid and at the same time be inside the mind of the girl he moved on with? How does Molly win back Gid without letting him know what’s going on? And how on earth is she ever going to get out of Pilar’s head...?
Publication Date: 09/15/09
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:
Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.
Publication Date: 09/14/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The year: 1914
The place: Sarajevo
The mission: the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (ages 9-14)
Jack Christie and his best friend, Angus, find themselves at the center of a momentous event that will shape history for decades to come. Their dilemma: Should they intervene? Their problem: Can they survive? Join Jack on a dangerous chase from the dockyards of England to the rain-sodden trenches of the First World War. Will he escape the evil authorities who believe in the mysterious Vigil Imperative?
The place: Sarajevo
The mission: the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (ages 9-14)
Jack Christie and his best friend, Angus, find themselves at the center of a momentous event that will shape history for decades to come. Their dilemma: Should they intervene? Their problem: Can they survive? Join Jack on a dangerous chase from the dockyards of England to the rain-sodden trenches of the First World War. Will he escape the evil authorities who believe in the mysterious Vigil Imperative?
Publication Date: 09/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: A yuletide adventure based on the myth of the pickle ornament. Blended with the power of myth, "Willie-Off-The-Pickleboat" taps into to a few predecessors of Santa Claus to deliver a rich Christmas adventure. Inspired by global yuletide traditions, "Willie-Off-The-Pickleboat" draws from Christmas figures such as the Italian witch "La Befana" the ominous Pa. Dutch "Belschnikel" (who doles out gifts and punishment to children good and bad respectively) to tell a timely holiday story. "Willie," a benevolent, but mischievous character, is also drawn from myth, inspired by Charon, ferryman of Hades in Greek mythology. Discover how the spirit of Christmas can be stolen and saved. One pickle. One boat. And one wish. Suitable for children ages 10 and up. Click Preview to read the 1st chapter.
Publication Date: 09/09/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: It is a land of wonders. It is a land of mystery. It is a land that time forgot (or chose specifically not to remember). Cut off from the civilized world for untold years by prohibitive interstate tolls at the New Jersey border, this land is called: Delaware. It is into the mist-shrouded heart of this forbidden mountainous realm that our plucky and intrepid heroes, Jasper Dash: Boy Technonaut, and his friends Lily Gefelty and Katie Mulligan, must journey to unravel a terrible mystery in this third weird and wacky installment of M. T. Anderson’s Thrilling Tales.
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: In a highly awaited new novel, Kate DiCamillo conjures a haunting fable about trusting the unexpected — and making the extraordinary come true. (Ages 7 and up)
What if? Why not? Could it be?
When a fortuneteller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller's mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true. With atmospheric illustrations by fine artist Yoko Tanaka, here is a dreamlike and captivating tale that could only be narrated by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo. In this timeless fable, she evokes the largest of themes — hope and belonging, desire and compassion — with the lightness of a magician’s touch.
What if? Why not? Could it be?
When a fortuneteller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller's mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true. With atmospheric illustrations by fine artist Yoko Tanaka, here is a dreamlike and captivating tale that could only be narrated by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo. In this timeless fable, she evokes the largest of themes — hope and belonging, desire and compassion — with the lightness of a magician’s touch.
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: A bearer of doom, or a bringer of change? As the Aztec empire falls, one girl defies her destiny. (Age 12 and up)
In the golden city of Tenochtitlán, the people live in awe of Emperor Montezuma and in fear of blood-hungry gods. Under an ill-fated sky, a girl is born, facing a life of submission and domestic drudgery. But Itacate has a secret passion for goldwork, forbidden to women, and is forced to disguise her identity to protect herself and her family. When her city is shaken by Cortez’s invasion, Itacate challenges fate, culture, and faith by crafting golden statues — and pursuing the love of a man who should be her enemy. From the author of I AM APACHE comes a tale of clashing cultures, a rich and powerful depiction of Aztec life during the Spanish conquest of Mexico.
In the golden city of Tenochtitlán, the people live in awe of Emperor Montezuma and in fear of blood-hungry gods. Under an ill-fated sky, a girl is born, facing a life of submission and domestic drudgery. But Itacate has a secret passion for goldwork, forbidden to women, and is forced to disguise her identity to protect herself and her family. When her city is shaken by Cortez’s invasion, Itacate challenges fate, culture, and faith by crafting golden statues — and pursuing the love of a man who should be her enemy. From the author of I AM APACHE comes a tale of clashing cultures, a rich and powerful depiction of Aztec life during the Spanish conquest of Mexico.
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Part two of the literary sci-fi thriller follows a boy and a girl who are caught in a warring town where thoughts can be heard — and secrets are never safe.
Reaching the end of their tense and desperate flight in THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, waiting to welcome them to New Prentisstown. There they are forced into separate lives: Todd to prison, and Viola to a house of healing where her wounds are treated. Soon Viola is swept into the ruthless activities of the Answer, aimed at overthrowing the tyrannical government. Todd, meanwhile, faces impossible choices when forced to join the mayor’s oppressive new regime. In alternating narratives — Todd’s gritty and volatile; Viola’s calmer but equally stubborn — the two struggle to reconcile their own dubious actions with their deepest beliefs. Torn by confusion and compromise, suspicion and betrayal, can their trust in each other possibly survive?
Reaching the end of their tense and desperate flight in THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, waiting to welcome them to New Prentisstown. There they are forced into separate lives: Todd to prison, and Viola to a house of healing where her wounds are treated. Soon Viola is swept into the ruthless activities of the Answer, aimed at overthrowing the tyrannical government. Todd, meanwhile, faces impossible choices when forced to join the mayor’s oppressive new regime. In alternating narratives — Todd’s gritty and volatile; Viola’s calmer but equally stubborn — the two struggle to reconcile their own dubious actions with their deepest beliefs. Torn by confusion and compromise, suspicion and betrayal, can their trust in each other possibly survive?
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Tall tale. Thriller. Gripping historical fiction. This artful, sparely told graphic novel — a tale of a boy in Dust Bowl America — will resonate with young readers today. (Age 10 and up)
In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of "dust dementia" would explain who (or what) Jack has glimpsed in the Talbot’s abandoned barn — a sinister figure with a face like rain. In a land where it never rains, it’s hard to trust what you see with your own eyes — and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. With phenomenal pacing, sensitivity, and a sure command of suspense, Matt Phelan ushers us into a world where desperation is transformed by unexpected courage.
In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of "dust dementia" would explain who (or what) Jack has glimpsed in the Talbot’s abandoned barn — a sinister figure with a face like rain. In a land where it never rains, it’s hard to trust what you see with your own eyes — and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. With phenomenal pacing, sensitivity, and a sure command of suspense, Matt Phelan ushers us into a world where desperation is transformed by unexpected courage.
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The final novel in this compelling trilogy set in a medieval fantasy world.
Atti is the Fatal Child. Beautiful and adored, she is troubled by a recurring nightmare of violence and betrayal. She can love no one and trust no one, and she wakes screaming in the night.
Driven by his love for Atti, Ambrose, son of Phaedra, gives up his wandering existence and takes the throne. This is the story of his kingship and his attempts to remove the curse of Beyah, the weeping goddess, from his land. For while Beyah weeps, she poisons hearts, and only when the weeping stops can peace be restored to the kingdom.
Seen through the eyes of Padry, close advisor to the king, and of Melissa, maid to the queen, this is a passionate story of love and betrayal, power and sacrifice, hope and loss. Prophecies are fulfilled and story threads are concluded as Ambrose and his mother struggle to come to terms with their destinies.
Atti is the Fatal Child. Beautiful and adored, she is troubled by a recurring nightmare of violence and betrayal. She can love no one and trust no one, and she wakes screaming in the night.
Driven by his love for Atti, Ambrose, son of Phaedra, gives up his wandering existence and takes the throne. This is the story of his kingship and his attempts to remove the curse of Beyah, the weeping goddess, from his land. For while Beyah weeps, she poisons hearts, and only when the weeping stops can peace be restored to the kingdom.
Seen through the eyes of Padry, close advisor to the king, and of Melissa, maid to the queen, this is a passionate story of love and betrayal, power and sacrifice, hope and loss. Prophecies are fulfilled and story threads are concluded as Ambrose and his mother struggle to come to terms with their destinies.
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Every hundred years, four kids from four cities must save the world.
Rome, December 29.
A mix-up with their reservations forces Harvey from New York, Mistral from Paris, and Sheng from Shanghai to share a room with the hotel owner’s daughter, Elettra. The four kids discover an amazing coincidence—they all have birthdays on February 29, Leap Day. That night, a strange man gives them a briefcase and asks them to take care of it until he returns. Soon afterward, the man is murdered.
The kids open the briefcase. In it they find a series of clues that take them all over Rome, through dusty libraries and dark catacombs, in search of the elusive Ring of Fire, an ancient object so powerful that legend says even a Roman emperor couldn’t control it.
In the first book of the Century quartet, Italian author P. D. Baccalario begins a mystery that will take four cities and four extraordinary kids to solve.
Rome, December 29.
A mix-up with their reservations forces Harvey from New York, Mistral from Paris, and Sheng from Shanghai to share a room with the hotel owner’s daughter, Elettra. The four kids discover an amazing coincidence—they all have birthdays on February 29, Leap Day. That night, a strange man gives them a briefcase and asks them to take care of it until he returns. Soon afterward, the man is murdered.
The kids open the briefcase. In it they find a series of clues that take them all over Rome, through dusty libraries and dark catacombs, in search of the elusive Ring of Fire, an ancient object so powerful that legend says even a Roman emperor couldn’t control it.
In the first book of the Century quartet, Italian author P. D. Baccalario begins a mystery that will take four cities and four extraordinary kids to solve.
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Annie struggles with grief after the death of her newborn sister.
Annie can always count on spending summers at her grandparents’. This summer should be even better because Mama is going to have a baby soon. Before Daddy leaves for his Air Force assignment, he gives Annie a journal for summer memories. But now Annie is grieving over the death of her newborn sister. How can she tell Daddy that ever since the baby died, Mama is slipping away? If Annie wrote those words, Mama might stay that way forever. The only comfort Annie finds is in holding a stone she calls her “rock baby.” Then Annie secretly befriends a mysterious woman who helps Annie accept her loss, while Annie hopes to draw her new friend back into the community. But all that is interrupted when a crisis reveals their unlikely alliance and leads to a surprising turn of events.
Annie can always count on spending summers at her grandparents’. This summer should be even better because Mama is going to have a baby soon. Before Daddy leaves for his Air Force assignment, he gives Annie a journal for summer memories. But now Annie is grieving over the death of her newborn sister. How can she tell Daddy that ever since the baby died, Mama is slipping away? If Annie wrote those words, Mama might stay that way forever. The only comfort Annie finds is in holding a stone she calls her “rock baby.” Then Annie secretly befriends a mysterious woman who helps Annie accept her loss, while Annie hopes to draw her new friend back into the community. But all that is interrupted when a crisis reveals their unlikely alliance and leads to a surprising turn of events.
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The competition heats up at Fashion International High School. Bring it!
Sashay, parlay! The design competition at Fashion International High School heats up as each design house struggles to produce its first—and hopefully award-winning—line. Tensions are cropping up in the House of Pashmina, and it’s not clear whether Pashmina and her best friends will weather the runway. They’d better scramble if they want to win a real shot at a fashion career and an all-expenses-paid trip to Florence!
“A high-energy journey through the world of fashion high school as seen through the eyes of several feisty fashionistas. . . . Young readers will dive into Gregory’s vibrant mix of teenage realism, glamour, and fantasy.”—Essence
Sashay, parlay! The design competition at Fashion International High School heats up as each design house struggles to produce its first—and hopefully award-winning—line. Tensions are cropping up in the House of Pashmina, and it’s not clear whether Pashmina and her best friends will weather the runway. They’d better scramble if they want to win a real shot at a fashion career and an all-expenses-paid trip to Florence!
“A high-energy journey through the world of fashion high school as seen through the eyes of several feisty fashionistas. . . . Young readers will dive into Gregory’s vibrant mix of teenage realism, glamour, and fantasy.”—Essence
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: A National Book Award Finalist offers an intense portrait of an abusive relationship.
Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs—it can’t give her Reeve Hartt.
Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn’t always reasonable, right?
In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.
Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs—it can’t give her Reeve Hartt.
Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn’t always reasonable, right?
In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: An inspiring YA debut from the author of Dangerous Minds.
Eddie Corazon is angry. He’s also very smart. But he’s working pretty hard at being a juvenile delinquent. He blows off school, even though he’s a secret reader. He hangs with his cousins, who will always back him up—when they aren’t in jail.
Then along comes Lupe, who makes his blood race. She sees something in Eddie he doesn’t even see in himself. A heart, and a mind, and something more: a poet. But in Eddie’s world, it’s a thin line between tragedy and glory. And what goes down is entirely in Eddie’s hands.
Gripping, thought-provoking, and hopeful, Muchacho is a rare and inspiring story about one teen’s determination to fight his circumstances and shape his own destiny.
Eddie Corazon is angry. He’s also very smart. But he’s working pretty hard at being a juvenile delinquent. He blows off school, even though he’s a secret reader. He hangs with his cousins, who will always back him up—when they aren’t in jail.
Then along comes Lupe, who makes his blood race. She sees something in Eddie he doesn’t even see in himself. A heart, and a mind, and something more: a poet. But in Eddie’s world, it’s a thin line between tragedy and glory. And what goes down is entirely in Eddie’s hands.
Gripping, thought-provoking, and hopeful, Muchacho is a rare and inspiring story about one teen’s determination to fight his circumstances and shape his own destiny.
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: Calvin Coconut needs to fix things with Stella—and fast!
Stella from Texas is now officially a member of the Coconut household. As if getting a bossy babysitter isn’t bad enough for Calvin, Stella teases him mercilessly. What’s a nine-year-old boy to do? Calvin decides to “fix” her, and he dumps his neighbor’s cat Zippy on Stella’s bed, knowing she’s allergic. But when Stella breaks out in hives and misses her first big date, Calvin realizes his “zippy fix” went too far. He’s got to make it up to her, and decides to give her a birthday present. But he has no money. Along with the help of his loyal friends and little sister, Darci, Calvin works hard, and comes up with enough cash to give Stella the best birthday gift ever.
Graham Salisbury’s voice perfectly captures the inner workings of Calvin’s mind, and Jacqueline Rogers’ delightful pictures add zest and humor to The Zippy Fix.
Stella from Texas is now officially a member of the Coconut household. As if getting a bossy babysitter isn’t bad enough for Calvin, Stella teases him mercilessly. What’s a nine-year-old boy to do? Calvin decides to “fix” her, and he dumps his neighbor’s cat Zippy on Stella’s bed, knowing she’s allergic. But when Stella breaks out in hives and misses her first big date, Calvin realizes his “zippy fix” went too far. He’s got to make it up to her, and decides to give her a birthday present. But he has no money. Along with the help of his loyal friends and little sister, Darci, Calvin works hard, and comes up with enough cash to give Stella the best birthday gift ever.
Graham Salisbury’s voice perfectly captures the inner workings of Calvin’s mind, and Jacqueline Rogers’ delightful pictures add zest and humor to The Zippy Fix.
Publication Date: 09/08/09
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction