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Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
Synopsis: GOODBYE, MR. DESPAIR

Nozomu Itoshiki is depressed. Very depressed. He’s certifiably suicidal, but he’s also the beloved schoolteacher of a class of unique students, each charming in her own way: The stalker. The shut-in. The obsessive-compulsive. The girl who comes to class every day with strange bruises. And Kafuka, the most optimistic girl in the world, who knows that every cloud has a silver lining. For all of them, it’s a special time, when the right teacher can have a lasting positive effect on their lives. But is that teacher Itoshiki, a.k.a. Zetsubou-sensei, who just wants to find the perfect place to die?
Publication Date: 02/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Princess and the Unicorn
Synopsis: Noble, with hooves and horn of gold, the unicorn is the embodiment of magic. When Princess Eleanor of England catches sight of him in Swinley Forest, she can’t resist taking him back with her to Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, once the unicorn leaves the forest, both he and the forest begin to sicken. As the only witness to the unicorn’s departure, Joyce, an intrepid and curious young fairy, sets out for London on a grand adventure to rescue the unicorn—and maybe help the princess while she’s at it.
Publication Date: 02/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Singing
Alison Croggon
Synopsis: The climactic volume of the epic quartet follows the Bards of Edil-Amarandh on a vital quest to merge their powers against a nameless evil.In an increasingly battle-ravaged land, Maerad, Cadvan, and Hem desperately search for one another as they make their separate journeys. The Black Army is advancing north, and even as Maerad faces a mighty confrontation with the Landrost to save Innail, all of the Seven Kingdoms are threatened with bitter and devastating defeat. Yet in Maerad and Hem lives the secret to the mysterious Singing, and legend holds that if they release the music of Elidhu together, they have the power to defeat the Nameless One. Can brother and sister find each other in time to fight this all-powerful enemy, and are they strong enough ? even reunited ? to defeat him before all is lost?
Publication Date: 02/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Starclimber
Kenneth Oppel
Synopsis:

"Mr. Cruse, how high would you like to fly?"

A smile soared across my face.

"As high as I possibly can."

Pilot-in-training Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries, expert on high-altitude life-forms, are invited aboard the Starclimber, a vessel that literally climbs its way into the cosmos. Before they even set foot aboard the ship, catastrophe strikes:

Kate announces she is engaged—and not to Matt.

Despite this bombshell, Matt and Kate embark on their journey into space, but soon the ship is surrounded by strange and unsettling life-forms, and the crew is forced to combat devastating mechanical failure. For Matt, Kate, and the entire crew of the Starclimber, what began as an exciting race to the stars has now turned into a battle to save their lives.

Award-winning and bestselling author Kenneth Oppel brings us back to a rich world of flight and fantasy in this breathtaking new sequel to Airborn and Skybreaker.

Publication Date: 02/24/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Lamentation
Ken Scholes
Synopsis:

An ancient weapon has completely destroyed the city of Windwir.   From many miles away, Rudolfo, Lord of the Nine Forest Houses, sees the horrifying column of smoke rising.  He knows that war is coming to the Named Lands.

Nearer to the Devastation, a young apprentice is the only survivor of the city – he sat waiting for his father outside the walls, and was transformed as he watched everyone he knew die in an instant.

Soon all the Kingdoms of the Named Lands will be at each others' throats, as alliances are challenged and hidden plots are uncovered.

This remarkable first novel from an award-winning short fiction writer will take readers away to a new world – an Earth so far in the distant future that our time is not even a memory; a world where magick is commonplace and great areas of the planet are impassable wastes. But human nature hasn’t changed through the ages: War and faith and love still move princes and nations. 

Publication Date: 02/17/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Nicholas Nickleby
Paul Schlicke, Charles Dickens
Synopsis: Our hero confronts a large and varied cast, including Wackford Squeers, the fantastic ogre of a schoolmaster, and Vincent Crummles, the grandiloquent ham actor, on his comic and satirical adventures up and down the country. Punishing wickedness, befriending the helpless, strutting the stage, and falling in love, Nicholas shares some of his creator's energy and earnestness as he faces the pressing issues of early Victorian society.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Publication Date: 02/15/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Cave
Steve McGill
Synopsis: When World War I began, Arthur Pratt did what many other Americans did, joining a foreign army to fight while the United States was still trying to avoid entering the conflict. He was reportedly killed in action, though no body was ever recovered, and his surviving family had only letters and photos from the war to remember him by. Eighty years later, Arthur?s great-great-grandson Ian is fascinated by the war he?s learned about from his family scrapbooks. He wants to be adventurous and brave just like Arthur, which for Ian means testing his mettle against the spooky Butterfield Ranch and a mysterious nearby cave. When weird things begin happening around him, Ian realizes he?s being called upon to solve a mystery?but doing so will require venturing into the cave. What he discovers there is more magical?and more dangerous?than he ever imagined, leading the boy to a revelation that will change his life forever. The Cave is a haunting, touching novel, sure to enchant young-adult readers.
Publication Date: 02/13/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man
Synopsis:

This laugh-out-loud children's book is aligned with the Standard Course of Study for elementary school language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. It's an exciting story that teaches and references second through fifth grade skills, and even though it's 100% correlated to the third grade North Carolina curriculum, it's designed for elementary school readers in all states!

This breakthrough educational book tells the story of a struggling third-grader (Chris Robb) who desperately wants to pass the third grade End of Grade (EOG) standardized test. Chris's school is a very strange place and his teacher has the strangest name he has ever heard: Ms. Bubblebrain. Every character in the book has a unique personality trait. Smelly Sam stuffs random objects up his nose (sushi, socks, etc), the bus driver waves around his stinky shoe to get the kids to settle down, and the principal harbors an incomprehensible infatuation with strawberry milk. Meanwhile, a menacing Chicken Nugget Man appears to be sneaking into schools and causing all kinds of chaos. A task force is created to capture this mysterious creature. The country's smartest children will be chosen to join the effort because for some reason, no adult has ever seen the Chicken Nugget Man. Chris, who can barely remember his teacher's name, has the odds stacked against him when it comes to passing the North Carolina EOG test, but as the reader discovers, he might have a little help, and a little hope, after all.

The book has built-in Bloom's Taxonomy higher-order critical thinking questions that are written in kid-friendly language. A strong emphasis is placed on character education in the book and every time a character makes a poor choice, the narrator reminds readers of the consequences, encouraging them to suggest more responsible choices.

This delightful comedy makes learning fun and helps students in all states prepare for standardized tests.

Key educational features in the book:
NEW! Silly fill in the bubble questions at the end of most chapters to prepare students for standardized tests in a fun way!
Built-in comprehension questions
Math, science, social studies, language arts and reading concepts taught through a fun, fictional plot
Educational illustrations
Tricky words are labeled with images for ELLs and struggling readers
Officially leveled text
Full list of referenced educational standards/concepts in the back of the book
EOG question stems to help with standardized test prep
Math word problems
"Knowledge Nugget" educational fact boxes
Math skills, including: probability, fractions, geometry, graphing, decimals, and elapsed time
Social Studies skills, including: history, citizenship, leadership, and economics
Science skills, including: plant science, life cycles, pollination, astronomy, and life science
Publication Date: 02/12/09
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
The Anatomy of Wings
Karen Foxlee
Synopsis: Ten-year-old Jennifer Day lives in a small mining town full of secrets. Trying to make sense of the sudden death of her teenage sister, Beth, she looks to the adult world around her for answers.

As she recounts the final months of Beth’s life, Jennifer sifts through the lies and the truth, but what she finds are mysteries, miracles, and more questions. Was Beth’s death an accident? Why couldn’t Jennifer—or anyone else—save her?

Through Jennifer’s eyes, we see one girl’s failure to cross the threshold into adulthood as her family slowly falls apart.
Publication Date: 02/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Shadowed Summer
Saundra Mitchell
Synopsis: Nothing ever happened in Ondine, Louisiana, not even the summer Elijah Landry disappeared.

His mother knew he ascended to heaven, the police believed he ran away, and his girlfriend thought he was murdered.

Decades later, certain she saw his ghost in the town cemetery, fourteen-year-old Iris Rhame is determined to find out the truth behind "The Incident With the Landry Boy."

Enlisting the help of her best friend Collette, and forced to endure the company of Collette's latest crush, Ben, Iris spends a summer digging into the past and stirring old ghosts, in search of a boy she never knew.

What she doesn't realize is that in a town as small as Ondine, every secret is a family secret.
Publication Date: 02/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Perpetual Check
Rich Wallace
Synopsis: Randy is a chubby ninth grader with a Cub Scout hair cut who guesses M&M colors with his eyes closed and makes up words. He’s also a chess whiz who has defeated his older brother Zeke in nine of their last ten matches. Zeke is a high school senior, a soccer champ, and a chess natural who can beat just about anyone if he decides to really concentrate. So why is his loser little brother the better athlete, the better chess player, and the first to have a girlfriend?

The competition heightens when both Randy and Zeke qualify for the Northeast Regional of the Pennsylvania High School Chess Championships (Randy is seeded, Zeke is not)—and play their way right into a brother-tobrother final round. Told in alternating points of view between brothers, Rich Wallace’s new novel brings to life one of America’s favorite pastimes in a suspenseful story about competition and family loyalty.

Rich Wallace is the author of several books for young adults, including One Good Punch, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and Wrestling Sturbridge, an ALA Quick Pick. He lives in Pennsylvania.
Publication Date: 02/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harris is no string bean, but comfy sweatpants and a daily chocolate cookie suit her just fine. Her under-the-radar lifestyle could have continued too, if her aunt hadn?t entered her in the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge. To get out of it, she?s forced to launch Operation Skinny Celeste?because, after all, a thin girl can?t be a fat model! What Celeste never imagined was that losing weight would help her gain a backbone . . . or that all she needed to shine was a spotlight.

A hilarious debut featuring friendship, family, mean girls and even celebrity crushes, Celeste?s story is a delicious treat that doesn?t add a pound.

Publication Date: 02/05/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Evermore
Alyson Noël
Synopsis:

Don't miss Evermore, the first book in Alyson Noël's #1 New York Times bestselling The Immortals series. Enter an enchanting new world where true love never dies. . .

After a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school―but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head―wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is―or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

Publication Date: 02/03/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Project Sweet Life
Brent Hartinger
Synopsis:

For most kids, fifteen is the year of the optional summer job: Sure, you can get a job if you really want one, but it isn't required or anything. Too bad Dave's dad doesn't agree! Instead of enjoying long days of biking, swimming, and sitting around, Dave and his two best friends are being forced by their fathers into a summer of hard labor.

The friends have something else in mind, though: Not only will they not work over the summer, but they're determined to trick everyone into believing they really do have jobs. So what if the lifeguard doesn't have a tan or the fast-food worker isn't bringing home buckets of free chicken? There's only one problem: Dave's dad wants evidence that his son is actually bringing in money. And that means Dave, Curtis, and Victor will have to get some . . . without breaking the law and without doing any work!

Project Sweet Life is designed for the funny and lazy bone in all of us—a true comedy of errors (without any effort!) from seasoned storyteller Brent Hartinger.

Publication Date: 02/03/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Inchworm
Ann Kelley
Synopsis: Gussie is back and she's stronger than ever. She's finally got the heart and lung transplant that she needs and now she craves adventure. All her new heart wants is to escape London and get her divorced parents back together. But her fight isn't over yet. In fact, it's only just beginning. Original.
Publication Date: 02/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Man in the Iron Mask
David Coward, Alexandre Dumas
Synopsis: Alexandre Dumas was already a best-selling novelist when he wrote this historical romance, combining (as he claimed) the two essentials of life--"l'action et l'amour." The Man in the Iron Mask concludes the epic adventures of the three Muskateers, as Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and their friend D'Artagnan, once invincible, meet their destinies.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Publication Date: 02/01/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction

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