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Museum of Thieves
Lian Tanner
Synopsis: Amazon Best Books of the Month, October 2010: In the city of Jewel, safety and temperance are prized above all other virtues. Goldie, an impetuous girl with a talent for petty thievery, is eagerly awaiting her Separation, in which her silver guardchain connecting her to her parents for safety is finally cut. When tragedy strikes and the city’s sly and deceptive ruler, the Fugleman, cancels all Separations indefinitely, Goldie decides she’s had enough of safety and runs away to the fascinating, mysterious Museum of Dunt. Yet this museum is no dusty educational edifice, as Goldie soon learns: it has moods and feelings like a living being. Its shape-shifting rooms house not historical artifacts, but great and terrible powers that, if unleashed, could destroy the city. In the museum, Goldie meets a quirky cast of misfits, including Toadspit, an Oliver-Twist-like ragamuffin living in the museum; Sinew, a harp-toting spy; and Broo, a talking dog with secret powers of his own. Before long, however, the Fugleman discovers the secret of the museum and tries to use its powers to tighten his control of the city, and it’s up to Goldie, Toadspit, and Broo to stop him. Lian Tanner’s Museum of Thieves is filled with characters who are oddball but meaningful, a dystopia-for-beginners plot that is at once serious and silly, and a pace fast enough to draw in even reluctant readers. The thrilling conclusion teaches that courage and freedom are virtues, too, even if they mean a few scrapes along the way. --Juliet Disparte

Publication Date: 09/28/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Poison Kissed
Erica Hayes
Synopsis:  Mina is a banshee whose greatest power lies in her siren song. She’s beholden to her boss Joey, a snake-shifter who once saved her life and now employs her as a gang enforcer. She refuses to upset the fragile balance between them by admitting that she longs for him, that his embrace is the only thing she craves more than revenge for her mother’s death…

When Mina learns that Joey may have been involved in her mother’s murder, fury threatens to spill out of her note by vicious note. She and Joey have always trusted each other to stay alive, but now she’s not sure what to believe. The evidence stacked against him—or the one man who haunts her dreams and burns her blood…

Poison Kissed is the third book in Erica Hayes' Shadowfae Chronicles.

Publication Date: 09/28/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Double Overtime
Dana Lotito
Synopsis: Miles Anderson is the new kid at Carson High School. He's the new basketball star everyone is whispering about and the one who will lead the team to victory. If only the team wasn't so terrible; if only he wasn't so distracted by the only girl who won't pay attention to him; if only he wasn't at war with his brother maybe he would be able to be the guy everyone expects. Miles has to choose what areas of his life to focus on. Basketball is a given, since he has to uphold the family legacy. He'll do whatever it takes to get closer to Libby, the enticing girl who is finally showing interest. So his issues with his brother, Adam, who stayed behind at the prestigious Hill View Academy, are stuffed aside while tensions continue to boil beneath the surface. But nothing seems to go Miles's way, because even Libby has her secrets - secrets that deliver blow after blow to Miles, until he is forced to find a way to fix his own mistakes before he loses everything.
Publication Date: 09/23/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Blizzard
Marty Martins
Synopsis: In Marty Martins's novel, The Blizzard, readers are taken on a journey that touches on questions of morals and ethics, and the importance of communication between parents and their children. Melanie Hondel is the all-American high school student. She is popular, pretty, and attracts the attention of more than a few boys. One of them is Chet, who Melanie thinks is handsome enough, but whose determined self-reliance she has always found a bit strange and hardly romantic. When Melanie refuses the advances of a classmate, Tommy, and is beaten by him, she flees into a blizzard, where she falls through the ice. Her cries for help are heard by Chet, who is able to save her. They find refuge in an isolated cabin, where they shed their icy clothing and huddle together for warmth...in a bed. Rescuers arrive the next day, followed closely by Melanie's father, and there is confusion and anger. Mr. Hondel insists that Chet be arrested and refuses to accept his daughter's explanation, thereby leaving everyone convinced that Chet is dangerous. What ensues is an emotional and very important story about parental expectations, the decisions teenagers and young adults must make that impact their self-respect, their confidence, and their relationships with parents and community. This is a novel about coming of age, romantic love, and the importance of trust.
Publication Date: 09/16/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Animal Rescue Team: Hide and Seek
Priscilla Lamont, Sue Stauffacher
Synopsis: It’s autumn in Grand River, and as Keisha and her pals prepare for Halloween, a phone call comes in to Carters’ Urban Rescue: a deer has been spotted in the neighborhood . . . with a pumpkin on his head! The deer was enjoying the birdseed treat inside when, somehow, it got stuck. The Animal Rescue Team has a problem to solve: how do you get a pumpkin off a deer’s head when you can’t catch him? (And how can Keisha concentrate when the newest animal at Carters’ Urban Rescue is howling his way into her heart?)

Whatever the dilemma, if it’s got fur or feathers, the Carters are the ones to call! Filled with adventure, lots of laughs, and plenty of critters, Sue Stauffacher’s Animal Rescue Team books are perfect for independent readers.
 
Also available:
Animal Rescue Team #1: Gator on the Loose!
Animal Rescue Team #2: Special Delivery!
Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Secret of a First Daughter
Cassidy Calloway
Synopsis:

Morgan is a National Disaster.

Morgan Abbott couldn’t be happier. Super-cute Max has quit her Secret Service detail to be her (secret) boyfriend, and the annoying Brittany Whittaker has been ousted from class president, leaving the post open for Morgan! Life is pretty sweet.

Now Morgan just has to tackle college applications—but she has so much else to juggle that looking that far ahead seems impossible! Good thing she’s graceful under pressure . . . well, sometimes.

A trip to London should be just the thing to take her mind off all the craziness, but true to form, chaos follows Morgan wherever she goes—and the trip turns into an international disaster. Can she make it right? Or will she cause a royal mess?

Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Pink Locker Society
Debra Moffitt
Synopsis:

"Shh! You are now a member of the Pink Locker Society. More details to come. Shh!"

Welcome to the Pink Locker Society. Membership is a high honor, but Jemma and her two best friends can't tell anyone about their secret office, the work they do, or how they always manage to skip study hall. Behind pink doors, the trio of teens (plus Bet, the new girl) have been asked to take on a mysterious mission at Margaret Simon Middle School. They're supposed to help other girls by answering their questions about the PBBs.* Can Jemma, Piper, Kate, and Bet think fast and think pink?

Visit the Pink Locker Society at PinkLockerSociety.org.

*Look on page 27 to learn what the PBBs are!

Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Dark Deeps
Arthur Slade
Synopsis: A fantastic Steampunk adventure in the deeps

Transforming his appearance and stealing secret documents from the French is all in a day’s work for fourteen-year-old Modo, a British secret agent. But his latest mission—to uncover the underwater mystery of something called the Ictíneo—seems impossible. There are rumors of a sea monster and a fish as big as a ship. French spies are after it, and Mr. Socrates, Modo’s master, wants to find it first. Modo and his fellow secret agent, Octavia, begin their mission in New York City, then take a steamship across the North Atlantic. During the voyage, Modo uncovers an astounding secret.
 
The Dark Deeps, the second book in Arthur Slade’s Hunchback Assignments series, is set in a fascinating Steampunk Victorian world. Modo’s underwater adventures and his encounters with the young French spy Colette Brunet, the fearless Captain Monturiol, and the dreaded Clockwork Guild guarantee a gripping read filled with danger, suspense, and brilliant inventions.
Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Roland Wright: Brand-New Page
Gregory Rogers, Tony Davis
Synopsis: It’s really happened—Roland Wright is joining the royal household at Twofold Castle as a brand-new page! This is his big chance to impress the King and his knights.
 
But Roland meets with a few difficulties:
1)      The Queen hates mice, so it looks as if Nudge, Roland’s pet mouse, can’t stay.
2)      There’s an older page who makes sure poor boys like Roland get sent home in
         disgrace.
3)      A huge, tusked animal is on the loose. . . .
 
If things don’t improve, Roland’s dream of being a knight could be over in a day.
Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Calvin Coconut: Zoo Breath
Jacqueline Rogers, Graham Salisbury
Synopsis: What's stinkier than dog breath? Hawaii's Calvin Coconut is on a mission to find out!

Hawaii boy Calvin Coconut is a fourth-grade whiz kid: he has convinced his mom to let him adopt a dog. But Mom says Streak smells bad. Especially her breath. To Calvin, Streak’s stink is a good one, but he’s worried. If he doesn’t come up with a way to deal with Streak’s zoo breath soon, Mom might make him give his dog back to the shelter. So when his teacher assigns the class a discovery project, Calvin teams up with his pal Julio to find a way to fix Streak’s bad breath.
Zoo Breath is full of fun . . . and great stinks. Calvin Coconut’s discoveries will delight readers who have grown to love him, as well as those new to this series by Graham Salisbury, with charming illustrations by Jacqueline Rogers.
Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 5 - 8
Genre: Fiction
Breathless
Lurlene McDaniel
Synopsis: This moving and charged novel by Lurlene McDaniel, the bestselling author of inspirational fiction for young adults, presents ethical as well as moral dilemmas and explores the harsh reality of making a choice that, once made, can never be undone.
 
Travis Morrison knows how good his life is. He’s a champion diver and one of the most popular kids at school. He has Darla, the girl he loves; Emily, his kid sister, whom he actually doesn’t mind hanging out with; and Cooper, his best friend.
On the first day of summer vacation, all four go boating on the lake, and everything feels perfect. They cut the motor and drift toward their favorite spot, where cliffs abound—nature at its finest. Travis’s friends ask him not to try the diving stunt, but he can’t resist a challenge.

Travis’s silly stunt dive goes wrong, and he fears he has broken his leg. Instead, his trip to the hospital reveals devastating news. In an instant, Travis’s life and the lives of everyone around him are forever changed.

Travis understands that his parents believe they’re doing what’s best for him. But he’s always been sure of himself, and he’s sure of one thing now—that he and only he should decide the course of his life. He has a plan, but he can’t carry it out alone. How will he convince the three people he feels he can count on most to help him? And when things get even worse, who will fulfill his most important request?

In this honest and probing novel, Lurlene McDaniel tackles a controversial subject, sensitively exploring the issues of personal choice and quality of life, and poignantly reminding readers that every individual deserves to be treated with dignity.
Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Kid Table
Andrea Seigel
Synopsis:

Ingrid Bell and her five teenage cousins are such a close-knit group that they don't really mind sitting at the kid table―even if they have to share it with a four-year-old. But then Brianne, the oldest cousin, lands a seat at the adult table and leaves her cousins shocked and confused. What does it take to graduate from the kid table?

Over the course of five family events, Ingrid chronicles the coming-of-age of her generation. Her cousins each grapple with growing pains, but it is Ingrid who truly struggles as she considers what it means to grow up. When first love comes in the form of first betrayal (he's Brianne's boyfriend), Ingrid is forced to question her own personality and how she fits into her family. The cousins each take their own path toward graduating into adulthood―only to realize that maybe the kid table was where they wanted to be all along.

Almost a reverse coming-of-age, this touching and hilariously funny novel will appeal to any reader who has sat at the kid table . . . or is still sitting there!

Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
How to Trap a Zombie
A.R. Rotruck
Synopsis: The Dangerous Book for Boys with a fantasy twist!

Ever wonder how to:
 
 Improvise a wand?
 
 Capture a werewolf?

 Make a monster-catching net?

Why wait to be accepted into wizardry school to learn the answers? Packed with easy projects using everyday materials, this fact-filled activity book shows wannabe wizards how to craft unique creations such as their own wizard robes, play games such as vampire tag, master adventuring skills like mapping a monster-filled dungeon, and follow step-by-step instructions on how to "survive" almost any monster attack.

The fantastical fun never ends in this book that will inspire hours of imaginative play!
Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Dark Water
Laura McNeal
Synopsis: A National Book Award Finalist
A Kirkus Reviews Best Books for Teens

Fifteen-year-old Pearl DeWitt lives in Fallbrook, California, where it's sunny 340 days of the year, and where her uncle owns a grove of 900 avocado trees. Uncle Hoyt hires migrant workers regularly, but Pearl doesn't pay much attention to them...until Amiel. From the moment she sees him, Pearl is drawn to this boy who keeps to himself, fears being caught by la migra, and is mysteriously unable to talk.

Then the wildfires strike.
Publication Date: 09/14/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Firelight
Sophie Jordan
Synopsis:

The first book in an addictive, romantic trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan is perfect for fans of Laini Taylor, Tahereh Mafi, and Claudia Gray.

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms.

But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness forces her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is the gorgeous, elusive Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide, from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan.

Publication Date: 09/07/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall
Mary Downing Hahn
Synopsis:

When twelve-year-old Florence boards the crowded horse-drawn coach in London, she looks forward to a new life with her great uncle and aunt at Crutchfield Hall, an old manor house in the English countryside. Anything will be better, she thinks, than the grim London orphanage where she has lived since her parents' death.
          But Florence doesn't expect the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who haunts the cavernous rooms and dimly lit hallways of Crutchfield and concocts a plan to use Florence to help her achieve her murderous goals. Will Florence be able to convince the others in the household of the imminent danger and stop Sophia before it's too late?

Publication Date: 09/06/10
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction

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