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Elemental Magic
Mercedes Lackey
Synopsis: Among Mercedes Lackey’s many novels, few are as critically acclaimed and beloved as those about the Elemental Masters. The novels in this series are loosely based on classic fairy tales, and take place in a fantasy version of turn-of-the-century London, where magic is real and Elemental Masters control the powers of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Now other authors join Mercedes Lackey to add their own special touches to this delightful alternate history, in a world where magic is always just around the corner...
Publication Date: 12/04/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Alien vs. Alien
Gini Koch
Synopsis: Sci-fi action meets steamy paranormal romance in Gini Koch’s Alien novels, as Katherine “Kitty” Katt faces off against aliens, conspiracies, and deadly secrets. • “Futuristic high-jinks and gripping adventure.” —RT Reviews

Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini and the rest of the American Centaurion Diplomatic Corps are still recovering from their introduction to Washington D.C. politics, parties, and conspiracies. New worries in the form of evil androids running amok, birds of all kinds and from all places creating havoc, a Senator trapped in an ever-tightening web of intrigue, and escalating international tensions all seem tough but manageable.

But the disappearance of Jeff Martini and Charles Reynolds during the International One World Festival signals more than the usual nastiness—and it looks like even ACE can’t help them. Then more trouble arrives, and even with the best hackers in the world, the full might of Earth’s military, and the Wonder Twins on their side, Centaurion Division’s outmanned .

Now Kitty’s racing against the clock to find not only Jeff and Chuckie, but to keep the peace between Middle Eastern countries, all while searching for the bases of super-soldier operations—to stop them or die trying.

Alien vs. Alien is the thrilling sixth installment of the Alien novels.
Publication Date: 12/04/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Dead To You
Lisa McMann
Synopsis: A powerful psychological thriller with a shocking twist from the New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy.

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It’s a miracle…at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn’t going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there’s something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...
Publication Date: 12/04/12
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
The Shadowed Onyx
Nicole O'Dell
Synopsis:

Join dejected seventeen-year-old Joy Christianson on her journey to hope and healing as she leaves a dark world behind and moves into Diamond Estates, a home for troubled teens. This brand-new novel for teen girls will not only entertain, but also promises to capture your heart and challenge your faith.

Publication Date: 12/01/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Today's Shadow
Becky Melby
Synopsis: Follow grad student Heather Conrad into a forgotten past as her house-sitting venture goes awry. Last minute changes leave Heather in charge of her former boss€™s lakeside Victorian mansion and six-year-old daughter. But the surprises have just begun. Soon startling discoveries convince Heather that something just isn€™t right around the house. . . . When she stumbles on a hidden stairway, the past juts into the present€”altering the course of Heather€™s own future.
Publication Date: 12/01/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Geneva Project - Truth
Christina Benjamin
Synopsis: Trapped on a flood ravaged island full of orphans, natives and wealthy citizens of the prosperous city Lux, a young girl named Geneva finds herself enslaved at an orphanage with no future and a past she can’t remember. That all changes when she meets someone who promises her that there’s more in store for her than she ever could have imagined. Her once dull life rapidly spirals out of control as she starts to acquire new magical powers that may be the key to unlocking an ancient legend along with her true identity. But first she must master these powers, all while trying to keep them secret from her friends and the evil head mistress at the orphanage. Before she knows it, Geneva is in over her head and has inadvertently wrapped her friends into her web of magic and lies and now all of their lives hang in the balance once the head mistress finds out her plan to prove that the legend of Lux may not be a legend at all! Who will Geneva trust and how far will she go to save her friends and find out her true identity?
Publication Date: 11/21/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Mannheim Rex
Robert Pobi
Synopsis:

After the sudden death of his wife, famous horror writer Gavin Corlie retreats from New York City to a secluded house on Lake Caldasac. But his new life in the country is far from idyllic; when a thirteen-year-old wheelchair-bound boy named Finn Horn nearly drowns in the lake, Gavin discovers a startling secret: people in this peaceful lakeside community keep vanishing. Is the corrupt, Benzedrine-fueled town sheriff to blame? Or is Finn’s account of a lake-dwelling monster more than a near-death hallucination? Racing against time and Mother Nature, Gavin and Finn embark on a quest to catch a nightmare that seems to have evolved with a single frightful purpose: to feed on human prey.

An homage to the blockbuster Jaws and the classic American novel Moby-Dick, Mannheim Rex is a deep dark thriller that switches seamlessly between heart-warming friendship and heart-stopping action.

Publication Date: 11/20/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Here Where the Sunbeams Are Green
Synopsis: Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me, said this book is "brimming with surprises and grand adventure. Brave, smart, and full of heart, Madeline and Ruby are a gust of fresh air."
   Mad's dad is the Bird Guy. He'll go anywhere to study birds. So when he's offered a bird-tracking job in Central America, his bags are packed and he's jungle bound.
   But going bird tracking in the jungle and disappearing completely are very different things, and when the Very Strange and Incredibly Creepy Letter arrives, Mad can't shake the terrible feeling that her father is in trouble.
   Roo, Mad's younger sister, is convinced that the letter is a coded message. And their mom is worried, because the letter doesn't sound like Dad at all. But Mad is sure it's a sign of something sinister.
   The only way to get to the bottom of it is to go to Lava Bird Volcano and find their dad themselves. Though they never could have imagined what they're about to discover.
   From new talent Helen Phillips, Here Where the Sunbeams Are Green is the story of what can happen when two sisters make some unusual friends, trust in each other, and bravely face a jungle of trouble all to bring their family back together.
Publication Date: 11/13/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Lemonade Mouth Puckers Up
Mark Peter Hughes
Synopsis:

Kirkus said, "warmhearted and innocently wild, this stand-alone sequel will find appreciative fans among teen music obsessives and social activists."

Olivia, Wen, Stella, Charlie, and Mo—the members of the legendary band Lemonade Mouth—have been labeled many things. But just how did this little group of misunderstood outcasts end up rocketing from high school nobodies to household names?

In their own words, the band tells the story of the momentous summer when an overworked music promoter, an unwanted visitor from India, and an unexpected reappearance by a figure from Olivia’s past shook their world and launched them on their roller-coaster ride to destiny. There are plenty of false rumors out there, but this is the real story, the continuation of the official history of Rhode Island’s most influential band. Lemonade Mouth is going worldwide and taking no prisoners. The outcome will be nothing short of revolutionary.

Publication Date: 11/13/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Fitz
Mick Cochrane
Synopsis: Sometimes Fitz would look at himself in the mirror, an expression of pathetic eagerness on his face. He was a dog in the pound, wanting to be adopted. He'd smile. What father wouldn't want this boy?

Fifteen-year-old Fitzgerald—Fitz, to his friends—has just learned that his father, whom he's never met, who supports him but is not a part of his life, is living nearby. Fitz begins to follow him, watch him, study him, and on an otherwise ordinary May morning, he executes a plan to force his father, at gunpoint, to be with him.

Over the course of one spring day, Fitz and his father become real to one another. Fitz learns about his father, why he's chosen to remain distant and what really happened between him and Fitz's mother. And his father learns what sort of boy his son has grown up to become.
Publication Date: 11/13/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Under The Bridge
Michael Harmon
Synopsis: Tate's younger brother Indy is probably the best skateboarder in Spokane. He's also really smart though he couldn't care less about school. But when Indy clashes with his father one too many times and drops out of school, it's up to Tate to win his brother back from the seedier elements of Spokane. Can Tate convince Indy to come home, finish his high school degree, and return to skating Under the bridge with their crew?

Michael Harmon's fast-paced and highly charged novel captures the enduring bond between brothers and their struggle for survival on the gritty streets of Spokane.
Publication Date: 11/13/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Sacred
Elana K. Arnold
Synopsis: From National Book Award finalist, Elana K Arnold, comes a fantastical story full of hope and romance.
 
Growing up on Catalina Island, off the California coast, Scarlett Wenderoth has led a fairly isolated life. After her brother dies, her isolation deepens as she withdraws into herself, shutting out her friends and boyfriend. Her parents, shattered by their own sorrow, fail to notice Scarlett's pain and sudden alarming thinness. Scarlett’s only outlet is her horse with whom she escapes to the heart of the island on long, solitary rides. One day, as she races around a bend, Scarlett is startled by a boy who raises his hand in warning and says one word: "Stop."
 
The boy—intense and beautiful—is Will Cohen, a newcomer to the island. For reasons he can't or won't explain, he's drawn to Scarlett and feels compelled to keep her safe, and to keep her from wasting away. His meddling irritates Scarlett, though she can't deny her attraction to him. As their relationship blossoms into love, Scarlett's body slowly awakens at Will's touch. But just when her grief begins to ebb, she makes a startling discovery about Will, a discovery he's been grappling with himself. A discovery that threatens to force them apart. And if it does, Scarlett fears she will unravel all over again.
 
 
"Will appeal to many teens, especially fans of the Twilight series."—Booklist
 
"Filled with tension and angst. . . . Readers will be looking for the next installment."—School Library Journal
 
"A poignant novel of loss and grief, but also of hope."—VOYA
Publication Date: 11/13/12
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Speed of Light
Amber Kizer
Synopsis: Fans will be thrilled with the final novel in the Meridian trilogy as the romance between Meridian and Tens heats up. And Juliet returns, but her obsessions leave her open to evil exploitation.

Meridian Sozu is a Fenestra, an angel infused human, destined to transition souls into the next world. Together with Tens Valdes, her soulmate and Protector, they've made a home in Indiana, making sure the dead safely enter the light and aren't stolen by the Dark, known as the Nocti.

Upon rescuing Juliet Ambrose from her terrible childhood, Juliet has become vulnerable without her Protector and grasps at any hope to find her parents, even when it's offered by a proven Nocti, Ms. Asura. Juliet is now faced with the horrible choice between uncovering her past and having a future.

Meanwhile, time may be running out for the hundreds of thousands preparing for the festivities surrounding the Indianapolis 500 car race. As centuries of secrets are revealed, the battles will pit Light versus Dark. Not all with survive as Meridian, Tens, and Julie join forces to try to thwart a potential tragedy.
Publication Date: 11/13/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Immortal Von B
Steven Walker, M. Scott Carter
Synopsis: M. Scott Carter follows up his well received young adult novel debut, STEALING KEVIN'S HEART, with another tender love story with a twist. When Josie Brunswick has to move to Europe so her dad can head up a new secret world genetics lab, she doesn't think life could get any worse. Then her beloved musician mother dies, and she is left to all but raise herself. Music becomes her one reason to live, until an experiment in her dad's lab gives her something unbelievable to focus on, something that will send her on a mad and dangerous adventure through Europe and through time. Before it s all over THE IMMORTAL VON B. will have answered the question: Could a teen-age girl from this century find love with a young composer from another?
Publication Date: 11/13/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Always War
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Synopsis: Unending war leads to the discovery of uneasy truths when two teens question the status quo in this riveting thriller.

For as long as Tessa can remember, her country has been at war. When local golden boy Gideon Thrall is awarded a medal for courage, it’s a rare bright spot for everyone in Tessa’s town—until Gideon refuses the award, claims he was a coward, and runs away. Tessa is bewildered, and she can’t help but follow Gideon to find out the truth. But Tessa is in for more than she bargained for. Before she knows it, she has stowed away on a rogue airplane and is headed for enemy territory. But all that pales when she discovers a shocking truth that rocks the foundation of everything she’s ever believed—a truth that will change the world. Is Tessa strong enough to bring it into the light?
Publication Date: 11/13/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
In the Shadow of the Lion
Kimberly M. Jane
Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Kathleen Gallant is on an archaeological adventure at Tsavo East National Park in Kenya when she unearths the grave of an ancient woman known as Njeri. The natives are horrified by this discovery; Njeri is so infamous that no local will even speak her name. They fear the discovery of Njeri's corpse will bring about pestilence and disease upon their tribe. The legend of Njeri goes back to the mystical Mchanga and Misitu War. This war was fought long ago, and historians are still unsure of how it ended. It seems the soldiers from this war apparently disappeared. Now news of local villagers either gone missing and even some found dead are worrying her friends, but Kathleen feels strangely drawn to the story of Njeri; she begins to have nightmares and visions of a past life and a battle of wills. Someone is taking over Kathleen's young mind-someone who wants revenge. With the help of her new friends Sekani and Okechuku, Kathleen discovers the ancient war never really ended. Under the influence of Njeri, she learns more about the past than she ever expected to-and realizes she may become the weapon through which Njeri exacts her revenge.
Publication Date: 11/08/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction

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