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Brisingr
Christopher Paolini
Synopsis: Don’t miss the latest book from the author of Eragon, The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm: Tales from Alagaësia, coming December 31, 2018! 

Perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings, the New York Times bestselling Inheritance Cycle about the dragon rider Eragon has sold over 35 million copies and is an international fantasy sensation.


Oaths sworn . . . loyalties tested . . . forces collide.

Following the colossal battle against the Empire’s warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon’s oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix’s clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength—as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices— choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.

Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?
Publication Date: 09/20/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Meeting Lizzy
SarahBeth Carter
Synopsis: If you heard a strange noise from the apartment upstairs, would you make an effort to find out what happened? What if something happened, but the victim begged you to leave it alone? What if there was obvious evidence of violence, but the denials were adamant? Would you forget about it and walk away? What if you were only 17? I'm Cy McEntire. I wouldn't call myself a typical teenager. I'm only average in the smarts department. Meeting Lizzy was an accident, but one I'd never be able to forget. I was just sitting at home watching Law & Order reruns when I heard a girl in the apartment upstairs. She was hurt. I was breaking the golden rule of being a successful hermit, but I couldn't help it. If what I thought was happening in that upstairs apartment was actually happening, I had to find out. I was so sure that I would be wrong that when I wasn't, I had no idea what to do. So I didn't do anything. It was obvious the girl was being abused, but she adamantly denied anything was wrong. What was I supposed to do? I'm not all-knowing, so I just left. But I couldn't get the girl out of my head.
Publication Date: 09/19/08
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Goblins!
Royce Buckingham
Synopsis: After finding a tunnel that goes below the surface and discovering a land filled with goblins, Sam is seized by its leaders, Eww-Yuk and Slurp, and so now must use his wit and courage to devise a plan to outsmart them in order to break free.
Publication Date: 09/18/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Youngest Templar
Michael Spradlin
Synopsis: Read Michael Spradlin's posts on the Penguin Blog.

1191 A.D. The orphan Tristan has joined the Knights Templar as a squire, journeying with Richard the Lionheart on his crusade to free the Holy Land from the Saracens. As defeat looms near, Tristan is entrusted with the most sacred of Christian relics, the Holy Grail. He must return it safely to Britain, but he must also keep it secret, because the Grail’s power will drive men to madness, and even his fellow Knights Templar will kill for it.

Tristan teams up with the fiery Robard Hode— returning to his home in Sherwood after serving with the King’s Archers—and Maryam, an equally fierce girl and a member of the dreaded Hashshashin. Together they must escape the Holy Land, dodging bandits, the forces of the Saladin, and unscrupulous knights who will stop at nothing to possess the Grail.

Publication Date: 09/18/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
How to Ditch Your Fairy
Justine Larbalestier
Synopsis:

Welcome to New Avalon, where everyone has a personal fairy. Though invisible to the naked eye, a personal fairy, like a specialized good luck charm, is vital to success. And in the case of the students at New Avalon Sports High, it might just determine whether you make the team, pass a class, or find that perfect outfit. But for 14-year-old Charlie, having a Parking Fairy is worse than having nothing at all―especially when the school bully carts her around like his own personal parking pass. Enter: The Plan. At first, teaming up with arch-enemy Fiorenza (who has an All-The-Boys-Like-You Fairy) seems like a great idea. But when Charlie unexpectedly gets her heart's desire, it isn't at all what she thought it would be like, and she'll have resort to extraordinary measures to ditch her fairy. The question is: will Charlie herself survive the fairy ditching experiment? From the author of the acclaimed Magic or Madness trilogy, this is a delightful story of fairies, friendships, and figuring out how to make your own magic.

Publication Date: 09/16/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Much Ado About Anne
Heather Vogel Frederick
Synopsis: The mother-daughter book club is back!

This year the mothers have a big surprise in store for Emma, Jess, Cassidy, and Megan: They've invited snooty Becca Chadwick and her mother to join the book club!

But there are bigger problems when Jess finds out that her family may have to give up Half Moon Farm. In a year filled with skating parties, a disastrous mother-daughter camping trip, and a high-stakes fashion show, the girls realize that it's only through working together -- Becca included -- that they can save Half Moon Farm.

Acclaimed author Heather Vogel Frederick captures the magic of friendship and the scrapes along the way in this sequel to The Mother-Daughter Book Club, which will enchant daughters and mothers alike.
Publication Date: 09/16/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Dark Dude
Oscar Hijuelos
Synopsis:
He didn't say good-bye. He didn't leave a phone number. And he didn't plan on coming back - ever.

In Wisconsin, Rico could blend in. His light hair and lighter skin wouldn't make him the "dark dude" or the punching bag for the whole neighborhood. The Midwest is the land of milk and honey, but for Rico Fuentes, it's really a last resort. Trading Harlem for Wisconsin, though, means giving up on a big part of his identity. And when Rico no longer has to prove that he's Latino, he almost stops being one. Except he can never have an ordinary white kid's life, because there are some things that can't be left behind, that can't be cut loose or forgotten. These are the things that will be with you forever.... These are the things that will follow you a thousand miles away.

For anyone who loved The Outsiders -- and for anyone who's ever felt like one -- Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Oscar Hijuelos brings to life a haunting choice and an unforgettable journey about identity, misidentity, and all that we take with us when we run away.
Publication Date: 09/16/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Wyrmling Horde
David Farland
Synopsis:

The Saga of the Runelords is written in the finest tradition of Tolkien and other works that rise above the fantasy genre to special and individual heights.

Now the epic story continues: at the end of Worldbinder, Fallion Orden, son of Gaborn, was imprisoned on a strange and fantastic world that he created by combining two alternate realities. It's a world brimming with dark magic, ruled by a creature of unrelenting evil who is gathering monstrous armies from a dozen planets in a bid to conquer the universe. Only Fallion has the power to mend the worlds, but at the heart of a city that is a vast prison, he lies in shackles. The forces of evil are growing and will soon rage across the heavens. Now, Fallion's allies must risk everything in an attempt to free him from the wyrmling horde.

Publication Date: 09/16/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Mystery Stallion
Sharon Siamon
Synopsis:

Join Sophie and Liv in the explosive kick-off to the new Wild Horse Creek series.

When 13-year-old twins Sophie and Liv spend their spring break vacation with their grandparents in Arizona, they discover that the ranch in the Sonoran Desert is full of surprises. Both girls love horses, and they're thrilled to meet their grandparents' herd of Spanish Barbs who roam freely on the 3,000-acre ranch. Soon, however, the girls encounter more adventure than they bargained for. When their grandfather's stallion is badly injured and the rest of his herd disappears, the twins try to find the missing horses and get to the bottom of the mystery. Along the way, the girls encounter rattlesnakes, good-looking cowhands and an interesting cast of characters who work at the ritzy local spa. Throughout their adventure, the twins come to terms with the fact that they are separate individuals with different paths to follow.

About the Wild Horse Creek series:
When horses are at the heart of a series, it's pretty much guaranteed that every book will also feature fun, adventure and friendship. This series follows twins Sophie and Liv adventures on their grandfather's ranch.

Publication Date: 09/12/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Barnaby Grimes
Chris Riddell, Paul Stewart
Synopsis: BARNABY GRIMES IS a tick-tock lad, running errands in his city, day and night, and “highstacking” around the rooftops in search of new mysteries to solve. In this first adventure, Barnaby is attacked one night by an enormous dog and soon finds himself swept up in a world of crooked doctors, poor and ill-advised patients, strange tonics, and very expensive furs. . . .
Publication Date: 09/09/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Thornspell
Helen Lowe
Synopsis: Helen Lowe reimagines the Sleeping Beauty story from the point of view of the prince who is destined to wake the enchanted princess in this lush, romantic fantasy-adventure.

Prince Sigismund has grown up hearing fantastical stories about enchantments and faie spells, basilisks and dragons, knights-errant and heroic quests. He'd love for them to be true—he's been sheltered in a country castle for most of his life and longs for adventure—but they are just stories. Or are they?

From the day that a mysterious lady in a fine carriage speaks to him through the castle gates, Sigismund's world starts to shift. He begins to dream of a girl wrapped, trapped, in thorns. He dreams of a palace, utterly still, waiting. He dreams of a man in red armor, riding a red horse—and then suddenly that man arrives at the castle!

Sigismund is about to learn that sometimes dreams are true, that the world is both more magical and more dangerous than he imagined, and that the heroic quest he imagined for himself as a boy . . . begins now.
Publication Date: 09/09/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Miracle Girls
May Vanderbilt, Anne Dayton
Synopsis: Ana Dominguez was happy in San Jose, but everything changed when her dad moved the family to Half Moon Bay, California, to open a law practice. Her parents think she's settling into her new school nicely, but she has them fooled. Riley, the most popular girl in school, has picked Ana as enemy #1, and Tyler, Ana's crush, doesn't even know Ana exists.
When Ana ends up in detention with Riley, her life suddenly changes. When Ana, Riley, Christine, and Zoe share their essays on "The Day My Life Changed," it turns out they have more in common than they ever would have imagined. Now as Ana lives out her faith, she and Zoe are determined to befriend Riley and Christine. But the drama of high school life has only just begun. . . .
Publication Date: 09/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Swimming With The Sharks
Debbie Reed Fischer
Synopsis:

Five-foot eleven. Freckled. Flat as a surfboard. Peyton Grady sees her role on the varsity cheer squad as the only thing keeping her off the social sidelines at wealthy Beachwood Preparatory Academy. It's her umbilical cord to cool―and it's constantly in danger of getting cut.

As a base, it's Peyton's duty to be stepped on―literally―by cheer queen Lexie Court. So when Lexie hatches a fierce hazing campaign against the frumpy new girl, Peyton has no choice but to support her flier. Soon the pranks become sadistically cruel, even criminal. Suddenly, Peyton has more to lose than her new-found Alpha celebrity. Will she gamble her entire future for "the good of the squad"?

"Debbie Reed Fischer's sizzling take on girl hazing and cheer pressure mixes the perfect ration of humor to anger for a compelling, un-put-downable read."
―Alex Flinn, author of Breathing Underwater

Publication Date: 09/08/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Boost
Kathy Mackel
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Savvy is six two and full of raw basketball talent; her three-point shot is deadly. But she’s also skinny and gets pushed around on the court. Her older sister, Callie, is a freshman on varsity cheerleading, but she’s not quite light enough to be a flier—her coveted position. Both girls need to boost their level of competition to get off the bench and into the action. When steroids are found in Savvy’s gym bag, she claims they are not hers. Suddenly, accusations are flying and nobody knows who is telling the truth. When it comes to competitive sports, no one is exempt from being offered a boost.
Publication Date: 09/04/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Fringe Benefits
Valerie Frankel
Synopsis: Instead of the European vacations and sleepaway camps of summers past, Dora finds herself stuck in Brooklyn after her junior year at the Brownstone Collegiate Institute, waitressing at an exclusive tennis and squash club where new responsibilities and exciting relationships abound.
Publication Date: 09/02/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Aurelie
Heather Tomlinson
Synopsis: Once upon a time, three children and a little river dragon were the best of friends—until a promise was broken. Now they are almost grown up and barely speaking to one another.  Of the four, it is Princess Aurelie who feels the loss the most. How can she prevent a war when she can’t even make her friends get along? Heartsick at losing her dearest companions, Aurelie finds comfort in the beauty of fairyland. But a princess can’t hide from her duties forever. Her country needs her, and so do her friends, whether they know it or not. Aurelie is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Publication Date: 09/02/08
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction

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