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Little Squirrel, Big Dreams
Mike Motz, April M Leo
Synopsis: In this heart-warming story, Celeste, a Parisian red squirrel, dreams of being an artist. She needs to find the right tools and a good art teacher to make that happen--no small feat for a squirrel.

Detailed vibrant and whimsical illustrations bring Celeste and her friends to life and showcase the illustrator's strong sense of perspective.

Recommended ages: 4-7; size: 10" wide x 8" high.
Publication Date: 03/30/17
Age Level: 5 - 8
Genre: Fiction
Hellworld
Tom Leveen
Synopsis: In an effort to put her family back together, a teen struggles to discover what happened to her mother who disappeared during a ghost hunt in this haunting novel from the author of Party, Sick, and Shackled.

Five years ago, Abby Booth’s mom, cohost of a ghost-hunting reality show, went missing while filming in a “haunted” cave in Arizona.

Since then, Abby’s life has all but fallen to pieces, most notably because of her dad’s deep depression and how they’ve drifted further and further apart.

But now, at sixteen, Abby has decided that things will change. She plans to go to the same cave where her mom and the crew went missing and to find out, once and for all, what happened there.

With the help of the cohost’s son Charlie, and two of his friends, Abby sets off on a quest for answers…but when the group ends up finding, what they stumble across in that dark, primordial cave in Arizona, is nothing they could have ever imaged.

Abby was investigating a possible haunting…she never expected that there could be something worse.
Publication Date: 03/21/17
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Amina's Voice
Hena Khan
Synopsis: A Washington Post Best Children’s Book of 2017

“For inspiring empathy in young readers, you can’t get better than this book.” —R. J. Palacio, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Wonder

“Amina’s anxieties are entirely relatable, but it’s her sweet-hearted nature that makes her such a winning protagonist.” —Entertainment Weekly

A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family’s vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community in this sweet and moving middle grade novel from the award-winning author of It’s Ramadan, Curious George and Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns.

Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she’s in middle school everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the “cool” girls in the class, and even talking about changing her name to something more “American.” Does Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized.

Amina’s Voice brings to life the joys and challenges of a young Pakistani American and highlights the many ways in which one girl’s voice can help bring a diverse community together to love and support each other.
Publication Date: 03/14/17
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Effie Starr Zook Has One More Question
Synopsis: “An excellent addition to middle grade collections.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

After being shipped off to stay with her aunt and uncle in Nowheresville, Pennsylvania, city girl Effie Starr Zook stumbles upon a mystery that leads her to an old family feud in this “accessible and exciting” (School Library Journal, starred review).

A rich girl from New York City, Effie Starr Zook isn’t afraid of much. When her parents go on a dangerous round-the-world adventure in a solar airplane, she’s packed off to her aunt and uncle’s farm for the summer. Expecting boredom, she runs smack dab into a family secret. Why does the neighbor kid want to avoid her? What are her aunt and uncle so worried about? And what does “bad blood” mean, anyway?

Effie’s got a brand-new bicycle, time on her hands, and an unlimited capacity for asking questions. With these, she sets out to uncover whatever it is the grownups are hiding. Along the way, she’ll contend with crackpot politics, serve coffee in a bookstore café, and learn more than she bargained for about her famous great-grandfather, the inventor of the barf bag. Fast-paced and funny, this is a story about having the courage to find out who you really are. Look out, world—when Effie Starr Zook has questions, she won’t take no for an answer!
Publication Date: 03/07/17
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
#2 The Palace of Memory
Patricia Moffett, Julian Sedgwick
Synopsis: Danny Woo has just escaped from the jaws of death. But he's still haunted by the suspicious deaths of his parents, who were the star performers in a radical traveling circus, the Mysterium. When he discovers that the Mysterium is re-forming in Barcelona without him he's devastated. But after learning that the Mysterium's enemies may be active in Barcelona, he rushes to warn his friends.



Could there be a traitor within the company itself? If Danny wants to live long enough to find the answers, he will need all the skills his parents taught him. He senses that everything is linked to his parents' deaths . . . and to the clues they left behind.
Publication Date: 03/01/17
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Vampires on the Run: A Quinnie Boyd Mystery
Synopsis: In the months after Quinnie Boyd cracked the mystery of her missing teacher, she expected life in her small Maine town to snap back to normal. But two writers from New York City have arrived in Maiden Rock, and there's something not quite right about them. Sure, Ceil and Edgar are pale. And they dress in all black. And they don't go near the sunlight. But could they really be vampires? To find out, Quinnie turns to Dominic a new kid in town who's an expert on everything geeky. Together, they'll risk their necks to find an answer . . .
Publication Date: 03/01/17
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Camp So-and-So
Mary McCoy
Synopsis: The letters went out in mid-February. Each letter invited its recipient to spend a week at Camp So-and-So, a lakeside retreat for girls nestled high in the Starveling Mountains. Each letter came with a glossy brochure with photographs of young women climbing rocks, performing Shakespearean theatre under the stars, and spiking volleyballs. Each letter was signed in ink by the famed and reclusive businessman and philanthropist, Inge F. Yancey IV.



By the end of the month, twenty-five applications had been completed, signed, and mailed to a post office box in an obscure Appalachian town.



Had any of these girls tried to follow the directions in the brochure and visit the camp for themselves on that day in February, they would have discovered that there was no such town and no such mountain and that no one within a fifty-mile radius had ever heard of Camp So-and-So.
Publication Date: 03/01/17
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Splinter
Sasha Dawn
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Sami hasn't seen her mother in ten years and neither has anyone else. The police suspect Sami's father had something to do with her mom's disappearance, but Sami's never believed that. Her mother chose to abandon her and start a new life. It's that simple.



But now, evidence has emerged about another missing woman who used to be involved with Sami's dad. Coincidence or evidence that the cops have been right all along?



As Sami investigates, she's forced to question everything she thought she knew about the dad who's always been there for her and the mother who supposedly abandoned her. And if her dad didn't kill her mother, what did happen?
Publication Date: 03/01/17
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Spurt
Chris Miles
Synopsis: A boy who’s the last in his class to go through puberty tries to fake it till he makes it through a series of cringe-worthy and hilarious events in this balls-and-all coming-of-age novel that’s Judy Blume for boys!

Jack Sprigley isn’t just a late-bloomer. He’s a no-bloomer. He’s in the ninth grade, and puberty is still a total no-show.

Worse yet, he hasn’t heard from his friends all winter vacation. He assumes they’ve finally dumped him and his child-like body—except then he finds out that it’s much worse than that. His friends are now so far ahead of him that they’ve started dating and getting girlfriends. Jack is out of luck. But then he comes up with a plan to catch up and win his friends back. And his plan is perfect: he just has to fake puberty.
Publication Date: 02/07/17
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
The Edge of the Universe
Shaun David Hutchinson
Synopsis: From the author of We Are the Ants comes “another winner” (Booklist, starred review) about a boy who believes the universe is slowly shrinking as things he remembers are being erased from others’ memories.

Tommy and Ozzie have been best friends since the second grade, and boyfriends since eighth. They spent countless days dreaming of escaping their small town—and then Tommy vanished.

More accurately, he ceased to exist, erased from the minds and memories of everyone who knew him. Everyone except Ozzie.

Ozzie doesn’t know how to navigate life without Tommy, and soon he suspects that something else is going on: that the universe is shrinking.

When Ozzie is paired up with the reclusive and secretive Calvin for a physics project, it’s hard for him to deny the feelings developing between them, even if he still loves Tommy.

But Ozzie knows there isn’t much time left to find Tommy—that once the door closes, it can’t be opened again. And he’s determined to keep it open as long as possible.
Publication Date: 02/07/17
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Denton Little's Still Not Dead
Synopsis: "Denton and his quirky friends are laugh-out-loud funny, even as their riotous adventures raise deeper questions about science, government control, life, and death." -- SLJ

You only live once—unless you’re Denton Little!
 
Denton Little lives in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day on which they will die. The good news: Denton has lived through his deathdate. Yay! The bad news: He’s being chased by the DIA (Death Investigation Agency), he can never see his family again, and he may now die anytime. Huh. Cheating death isn’t quite as awesome as Denton would have thought. . . .
 
Lance Rubin’s debut novel, Denton Little’s Deathdate, showed readers just how funny and poignant imminent death could be. Now in this sequel, he takes on the big questions about life. How do we cope, knowing we could die at any time? Would you save someone from dying even if they were a horrible person? Is it wrong to kiss the girl your best friend is crushing on if she’s really into you instead? What if she’s wearing bacon lip gloss?

Praise for Denton Little’s Deathdate:
 
“Highly original, fantastically entertaining, and laugh-out-loud funny, Denton Little’s Deathdate is a wild romp through a night like no other.” —Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Geography of You and Me
 
“Let’s all pray the grim reaper is even half as witty (and wise) as the deadly talented Lance Rubin. Till then: skip this book at your own peril.” —Tim Federle, author of Better Nate than Ever and The Great American Whatever

“Rubin is really funny, but like John Green, he manages to be poignant. . . . In other words, it’s a keeper.” —Bustle
Publication Date: 02/07/17
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Origins of Benjamin Hackett
Gerald M. O'Connor
Synopsis: "O'Connor's lilting prose beautifies his tale [as he] tackles a serious theme of forlornness with sincerity, buoyancy, and wit." --Kirkus Reviews

All families have secrets. Most go untold...

In the summer of '96, Benjamin Hackett has come of age, technically. And in the midst of the celebratory hangover, his world is whipped out from under his feet. His parents have finally shared their lifelong secret with him; he's adopted.

At the age of eighteen, the boy still has some growing up to do, and with the help of JJ, his loquacious consigliore and bodyguard, he embarks on an adventure that'll put to bed a lifetime of lies.

Over the course of five days, they find themselves caught up in the darker side of Cork. But when they sweep through the misfits blocking their way and finally discover the truth of it...now that's the greatest shock of all.

The Origins of Benjamin Hackett is a tender tale of heartache and displacement told through a wry and courageous voice. Set in Ireland, it's a timely reminder that the world hasn't moved on just as fast as we fancy. Now, in this emotionally charged story, Gerald O'Connor explores conditioned guilt and its consequences in a country still hiding from the sins of its past.

Praise for THE ORIGINS OF BENJAMIN HACKETT...

"The Origins of Benjamin Hackett by Gerald O'Connor is a raucous and riotous coming of age story that is brutal, tender and hilarious." - Paul D. Brazill, author of A Case of Noir and Guns of Brixton

"O'Connor doles out killer dialogue that adds oodles of character to this hero's journey. Told with the lilt and panache of Joseph O'Connor and Dermot Bolger in their novels of the 90s, Gerald O'Connor is the new and improved voice we've been waiting for." - Gerard Brennan, author of Undercover and Wee Rockets

"Visceral writing that inherits a long Irish tradition. O'Connor's narrative contains sharp characterisation, and has an assured voice, while dramatising conditioned guilt with humour and style." - Richard Godwin, author of Apostle Rising, Mr. Glamour and One Lost Summer and others

"If you're expecting the usual coming-of-age tale, you're in for a big shock. This is a tale big on heart and one which the author, Gerald O'Connor, has hied religiously to the advice of Harry Crews for writers, to leave out the parts readers skip. None of those parts remain in these pages. An auspicious debut!" - Les Edgerton, author of The Death of Tarpons, The Bitch, The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping, Bomb, and others
Publication Date: 02/06/17
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Skunks Dance
St John Karp
Synopsis:

Spivey Spillane's grandmammy always said there were only two good reasons to kill a man -- for cheating on a woman, and for serving drinks to a Yankee. She may have had a hand in winning the Revolutionary War, but even she never met the likes of Alabama Sam. Sam robs a bank under Spillane's name, casts him in an obscene one-man play wearing only a pink tutu, and starts a betting pool on how many wieners he has. Despite the indignities Spillane suffers, he chases Sam across Gold-Rush-era California because Sam is the only one who knows the location of a hidden fortune buried somewhere in the hills.

Meanwhile in the present, seventeen-year-olds Amanda and Jet have rekindled an old childhood rivalry. Amanda is obsessed with finding the treasure of her infamous ancestor Spivey Spillane. Jet and Amanda's feud comes to a head over an extended incident involving a broken window, an exploded car, and a charge of sexual assault with a candy Batman. Jet vows that he is going to find to Spillane's gold before Amanda does, but it doesn't take them long to realize that someone may have come this way already -- someone who wants the past to stay buried.

Inspired by the rickety world of 1960s British-made Westerns, SKUNKS DANCE is a tale of revenge, greed, and men in tutus.

Publication Date: 01/24/17
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
As Red As Blood
Salla Simukka, Owen Frederick Witesman
Synopsis: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets Six of Crows—this international bestseller is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that chills to the bone, and not just because of the icy winter setting.
 
Lumikki Andersson has made it a rule to stay out of things that do not involve her. She knows all too well that trouble comes to those who stick their nose where it doesn’t belong. But Lumikki’s rule is put to the test when she uncovers thousands of washed Euro notes hung to dry in her school’s darkroom and three of her classmates with blood on their hands. Literally. 
 
A web of lies and deception now has Lumikki on the run from those determined to get the money back—no matter the cost. At the center of the chaos: Polar Bear, the mythical drug lord who has managed to remain anonymous despite his lavish parties and notorious reputation. If Lumikki hopes to make it out alive, she’ll have to uncover the entire operation.
 
Even the cold Finnish winter can’t hide a culprit determined to stain the streets red.
 
“Fans of Nesbø and Larsson won’t be disappointed.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred
 
“This cold, delicate snowflake of a tale sparkles with icy magic.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred
Publication Date: 01/17/17
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Starr Fall
Kim Briggs
Synopsis: On the run from the Organization, Starr never planned on falling in love.Starr Bishop's the complete package. A perfect smile, brains to match, and a winning attitude. Boys want to date her and girls want to be her. She's the type of girl you want to hate, if only she wasn't so damn likable. But don't worry, she's not interested in your boyfriend. Boys are one complication she can live without.When the Organization decides she's not only the model student but the ideal assassin, Starr'll need a lot more than high test scores and extracurricular involvement to get herself out of that commitment.Dark, moody, and dead sexy Christian Evergood is the last person she'd expect--or even want-- to come to her rescue. From opposite ends of Webster High's social hierarchy, their lives collide in one electrifying moment. Christian isn't the Goth loner he pretends to be, he's a part Cherokee, All-American boy who wants to be a hero, Starr's hero. Christian makes Starr forget that the Organization is after her, but nothing will stop the Organization from collecting their top recruit.By the way, the spot for junior class president just became available. What People Are Saying About Starr Fall... "I was swept up in Kim Briggs' whirlwind of secrets, swoon, and adventure from page one. Beautifully writing combined with a smart, driven protagonist made this a book I couldn't put down."--Isabel Bandeira, Author of Bookishly Ever After (Jan 2016) and Dramatically Ever After (June 2017) As the opener in what promises to be a thrilling series, Starr Fall hits the ground running and hits the water swimming. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as Starr went from a super-achieving but otherwise pretty normal high school junior to a girl on the run from a shady, powerful government (maybe) agency and a deep, dark conspiracy we only see in glimpses. And why has the weird kid from school suddenly become her ultra-hot sidekick, with a connection between them that literally gives off sparks? He's a lot more than he seems. Every answer raises another question as the reader ricochets between the threat level outside the remote cabin and the heat level inside it. Briggs knows how to crank up both kinds of tension, in the best possible way. Book two can't come soon enough for this reader! - Liz Coley, author of the award winning, internationally best-selling Pretty Girl-13
Publication Date: 01/17/17
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Batgirl at Super Hero High
Synopsis: Get your cape on with the DC Super Hero Girls™— the unprecedented new Super Hero universe especially for girls! Readers of all ages can fly high with the all-new adventures of Wonder Woman™, Supergirl™, Batgirl™, and some of the world’s most iconic female super heroes as high schoolers!
 
Batgirl has always hidden in the shadows—but does she have what it takes to stand in the spotlight at Super Hero High?
 
Barbara Gordon has always been an off-the-charts, just-forget-about-the-test super-genius and tech whiz, and then she gets the offer of a lifetime when Supergirl recognizes that Barbara’s talents make her an ideal candidate for Super Hero High. Donning the cape and cowl, Barbara Gordon becomes Batgirl, ready to train at the most elite school on the planet, next to some of the most powerful teenagers in the galaxy. She’s always had the heart of a hero . . . but now she’ll have to prove that she can be one. Good thing she loves a challenge!
 
Award-winning author Lisa Yee brings mystery, thrills, and laughs to this groundbreaking series that follows DC Comics most iconic female Super Heroes and Super-Villains. Move over Batman™ and Superman™—the DC Super Hero Girls are ready to save the day and have fun doing it!
 
 
Praise for DC Super Hero Girls:
“Sure to have wide appeal, this book is a solid option to balance collections saturated with male superheroes.” - School Library Journal
Publication Date: 01/03/17
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction

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