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Spaceheadz (SPHDZ 4 Life)
Shane Prigmore, Jon Scieszka
Synopsis: Don’t miss the stunning, riveting, hilarious, and 100% fresh conclusion to the interactive Spaceheadz saga!

The SPHDZ accomplished their goal of recruiting 3.14 million and one SPHDZ. But the brainwave has been stolen by the chief of the Anti Alien Agency, and it’s up to Michael K., the SPHDZ, and their allies to get it back.

With three potential Chief sightings, the team is spread around the world, leaving Michael K., Venus, TJ, and the SPHDZ to hold down the fort and finish fifth grade. But with a mysterious new principal and graduation fast approaching, will they be able to find the missing brainwave before the Chief uses it to destroy a planet?
Publication Date: 10/01/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Two and Only Kelly Twins
Tuesday Mourning, Johanna Hurwitz
Synopsis: Johanna Hurwitz invites readers into the world of the funny, lovable Kelly twins, who are truly two of a kind.

Second-graders Arlene and Ilene Kelly are twins — identical twins to be exact — and they love being a pair. They love to dress alike, they have identical pet ferrets, and they do everything together. But being a twin is not always easy. When a set of triplets comes to school, Arlene and Ilene wonder whether triplets are more special than twins. At Halloween, on different streets in identical witch costumes, some neighbors think that the girls are one person trying to get extra candy. And when Arlene gets sick and has to visit the hospital, the twins each find out what it’s like to be one instead of two. But whether they’re together or apart, Arlene and Ilene know they’re lucky to have each other.
Publication Date: 09/24/13
Age Level: 5 - 8
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Wild Boy
Rob Lloyd Jones
Synopsis: Murder mystery meets carnival flair in a rollicking Victorian adventure centered on a boy with a unique appearance — and unique gifts.

In the seedy underworld of Victorian London, a boy is born and abandoned. Snatched up by an unscrupulous and abusive showman, Wild Boy, covered in hair from head to toe, becomes a sideshow freak. Isolated from other children and wickedly abused by the cruel master who bought him, Wild Boy becomes an avid observer, developing Sherlock Holmes–like deductive skills. Although he is tormented and insulted, kicked and spat at, his quick mind takes in everything he sees. When a murder occurs at the fair, Wild Boy is hastily accused. Can he use his powers of deduction to save himself? And will the talented and spunky young acrobat Clarissa be with him — or against him? Readers will be swept along by the cinematic pace, immersed in the vivid historical setting, and gripped by suspense as they wait to find out if a better fate could possibly await someone so very different.
Publication Date: 09/24/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Love and Mischief in Middle School
Synopsis: This is a coming of age story of several neighborhood teens going into middle school. There they learn much more than what the teachers are dishing out. They learn how to navigate all the new things at middle school that are so different than what elementary school was like. Boys and girls learn about new feelings for each other as hormones start kicking in. They learn about mischief while pulling a few pranks, but in the end, no one gets into serious trouble. Just starting out in middle school, Jeannie is tiny and afraid. She has always lacked the self-confidence to fit in with the crowd. Will this be her time to finally make friends with the popular boys and girls or merely be a repeat of what made her cry at night last year. She is so far behind the other girls in development, maybe this will even be worse! Although there are many mischievous things happening along the way, we can see from the cover that at least some things are looking up. It is written at a young adult level and if it were a movie, it would probably be rated a PG13.
Publication Date: 09/19/13
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Fallout
Todd Strasser
Synopsis: What if the bomb had actually been dropped? What if your family was the only one with a shelter?

Exciting, harrowing ... This is a superb entertainment ...  It  thrums along with finely wrought atmosphere and gripping suspense... -- THE NEW YORK TIMES

A gripping and superbly constructed novel... There's not a word out of place in this evocative book. --- THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Strasser once again combines terrific suspense with thoughtful depth... This riveting examination of things important to a boy suddenly thrust into an adult catastrophe is un-put-down-able. --KIRKUS (starred review)

An eye-opening "what if" scenario about the human response to disaster. --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY  (starred review)

In the summer of 1962, the possibility of nuclear war is all anyone talks about. But Scott's dad is the only one in the neighborhood who actually prepares for the worst. As the neighbors scoff, he builds a bomb shelter to hold his family and stocks it with just enough supplies to keep the four of them alive for two critical weeks. In the middle of the night in late October, when the unthinkable happens, those same neighbors force their way into the shelter before Scott's dad can shut the door. With not enough room, not enough food, and not enough air, life inside the shelter is filthy, physically draining, and emotionally fraught. But even worse is the question of what will -- and won't -- remain when the door is opened again. Internationally best-selling author Todd Strasser has written his most impressive and personal novel to date, ruthlessly yet sensitively exploring the terrifying what-ifs of one of the most explosive moments in human history.
Publication Date: 09/10/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Problem With Being Slightly Heroic
Uma Krishnaswami, Abigail Halpin
Synopsis: Dini is back from India—with Bollywood star Dolly in tow! But life in the States isn’t all rose petal milk shakes…

Dini and Maddie, very best friends, are back in the same country at the same time! Better still, Dolly Singh, the starriest star in all of Bollywood, is in America too. Dini’s only just returned from India, and already life is shaping up to be as delicious as a rose petal milk shake. Perfect. Then why can’t she untie the knot in her stomach? Because so much can go wrong when a big star like Dolly is in town. All Dini has to do is make sure Dolly has everything she needs, from a rose petal milk shake to her lost passport to…a parade? And an elephant?

Uh-oh… It’s time to think. What Would Dolly Do? If Dini can’t figure it out, Dolly might take matters into her own hands—and that will surely lead to the biggest mess of all!

Uma Krishnaswami has concocted a delicious sequel to her multiple star-reviewed The Grand Plan to Fix Everything, which Kirkus Reviews called “a delightful romp.”
Publication Date: 08/13/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Macadoo of the Maury River
Synopsis: A sequel to Chancey of the Maury River, this heart-tugging story focuses on Macadoo — the gentle giant of the Maury River Stables.

When Macadoo is just a colt, he challenges his father — a huge Belgian stallion — in order to protect his dam. From that moment on, Mac knows that his purpose in life is to help others. From surviving a kill auction to learning how to be a vaulting horse to giving therapeutic riding lessons, Mac is always patient and never loses hope in his mission to serve others — and he finds the courage to “walk on” through even the most difficult circumstances. Told with insight and compassion from Macadoo’s point of view, this is a story that all horse lovers will cherish.
Publication Date: 08/06/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Lulu in LA LA Land
Elisabeth Wolf
Synopsis:

Lights! Camera! ACTION!

Lulu in LA LA Land
A screenplay by Lulu Harrison

Scene 1:

ZOOM IN on Hollywood mega stars LINC and FIONA HARRISON singing happy birthday to their daughter LULU. Lulu blows out the candles, and they all gather for a group hug―

CUT!

If only real life were like the movies. Instead, Lulu Harrison's massively important eleventh birthday is just three weeks away―and her parents still haven't RSVPed!

Lulu's not like the rest of her glamorous Hollywood family. She likes tamales and they like tofu. She likes gardening and they like grooming. But all she wants for her birthday is for her whole family to be there. Together. So this year she's planning a super fabulous SPA-tacular party. But what if trying to fit in leaves Lulu feeling even more like she was cast in the wrong family?

Publication Date: 08/06/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
North of Nowhere
Liz Kessler
Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of the Emily Windsnap series comes a captivating adventure about family, friendship, and the bonds that bridge time.

The sleepy seaside village of Porthaven hides a mystery: Mia’s grandad has vanished, and nobody knows why. When Mia and her mom rush to Porthaven to help her grandmother, Mia imagines long dreary days with no one to talk to except for the old-time fisherman at her grandparents’ pub. But that’s before Mia finds a diary on an empty, docked fishing boat and starts exchanging notes with a local girl named Dee, a girl who seems much like her. Mia is excited about having a new friend, but why do their plans to meet each other never materialize? And why does Dee claim to be stuck at home due to violent storms when Mia sees only sunny skies? Will Mia be able to solve the mystery of where — and when — her grandfather and friend might be before time and tide forever wash away their futures?
Publication Date: 08/06/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas
David Almond, Oliver Jeffers
Synopsis: A boy escapes home to seek his own way in the world in a whimsical new outing by the award-winning David Almond, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers.

Stanley Potts’s uncle Ernie has developed an over-the-top fascination with canning fish in the house, and life at 69 Fish Quay Lane has turned barmy. But there’s darkness in the madness, and when Uncle Ernie’s obsession takes an unexpectedly cruel turn, Stan has no choice but to leave. As he journeys away from the life he’s always known, he mingles with a carnival full of eccentric characters and meets the legendary Pancho Pirelli, the man who swims in a tank full of perilous piranhas. Will Stan be bold enough to dive in the churning waters himself and choose his own destiny?
Publication Date: 08/06/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Calendar Mysteries #10: October Ogre
John Steven Gurney, Ron Roy
Synopsis: It's a mystery every month from popular A to Z Mysteries author Ron Roy! With the younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries kids!

October is for Ogre...

In the tenth book of the Calendar Mysteries- an early chapter book mystery series -there's a haunted house in Green Lawn! It's Halloween, and the Shangri-la Hotel has been transformed into a haunted house, complete with an ogre out front. Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy are ready for some scary fun, but then they notice that none of the kids who have gone in the hotel have come back out. What's happening to them? Ghosts and witches and ogres aren't real . . . right?
Publication Date: 08/06/13
Age Level: 5 - 8
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Dog Diaries #3: Barry
Tim Jessell, Kate Klimo
Synopsis: Barry der Menschenretter—a.k.a. Barry—the most famous St. Bernard dog in history, tells the story of his life for the first time.

Eight-thousand feet above sea level, in the treacherous pass in the Alps between Italy and Switzerland, the monks of the hospice of St. Bernard have, since the 11th century, kept dogs to help them rescue travelers lost in the snow. In time, these dogs became a breed unto themselves, named for the hospice. They are responsible for helping over 2,000 travelers who might otherwise have frozen to death. With great modesty, Barry tells not just about his own heroic exploits (saving over 40 lives, including that of a 12-year-old boy frozen in a cave), but about his daily life in the hospice, his close relationship with the brothers who train him, and about the other hospice hounds with whom he teams up to guide lost travelers and save lives. With realistic black-and-white illustrations by Tim Jessell—plus an appendix with information about St. Bernards, the Great St. Bernard Hospice, and much, more—Barry's tale is perfect for dog-crazy middle-grade readers!
Publication Date: 08/06/13
Age Level: 5 - 8
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Girl Z: My life as a teenage zombie
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Rebecca Herrera Hayes faces every teenager's biggest nightmares: bad skin, bad hair, and worse . . . turning into one of the living dead. Becca's life changes forever when her cousin Spence comes back to their small Wisconsin town carrying a deadly secret— he's becoming a zombie, a fate he shares with her through an accidental scratch. Now she must cope with weird physical changes and habits no girl wants to be noticed for. Then she meets Gabe, a good-looking part-Z like her and she fears she may be falling for him. But how can he, who shows hardly any Z symptoms, be interested in someone like her? Time is running out . . . and Becca needs his help as she and her cousin Carm search for their missing mothers and fight off hungry Zs. Most of all, she needs to find something, anything, to stop this deadly transformation before it is too late.
Publication Date: 08/01/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton
Matt Phelan, Matt Phelan
Synopsis: Matt Phelan, graphic novelist extraordinaire, presents a rollicking tribute to vaudeville, small-town dreams, and Buster Keaton as a boy.

In the summer of 1908, in Muskegon, Michigan, a visiting troupe of vaudeville performers is about the most exciting thing since baseball. They’re summering in nearby Bluffton, so Henry has a few months to ogle the elephant and the zebra, the tightrope walkers and — lo and behold — a slapstick actor his own age named Buster Keaton. The show folk say Buster is indestructible; his father throws him around as part of the act and the audience roars, while Buster never cracks a smile. Henry longs to learn to take a fall like Buster, “the human mop,” but Buster just wants to play ball with Henry and his friends. With signature nostalgia, Scott O’Dell Award–winning graphic novelist Matt Phelan visualizes a bygone era with lustrous color, dynamic lines, and flawless dramatic pacing.
Publication Date: 07/23/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Music of Zombies: The Fifth Tale from the Five Kingdoms
Synopsis: The web of power looks smooth and peaceful — until a new threat looms — in the fifth tale from the Five Kingdoms.

Prince Albion expects a unique occasion when he starts planning Cockenzie Rood Day to celebrate his kingdom — and himself. What he doesn’t expect is boppings on the head and kidnapping, all because a zombie wants to play his fiddle in the talent contest. With a misbehaving path, a romantic bat, and a greedy butler to set them on their way, Gracie Gillypot and Prince Marcus are off on their fifth adventure. It’s up to a Trueheart, a resourceful prince, and Gubble the troll to stop the zombie before he does some giant damage to the Five Kingdoms.
Publication Date: 07/09/13
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Bloggrls: Book One
Cheryl Dellasega
Synopsis: Sadie, a.k.a. nugrl90, finds out one day that her semi-happy teen life is taking a serious turn toward disaster. Not only are her parents really, truly getting divorced (as they've threatened a hundred times), but now her family is moving! She has to share a room with WS (Wicked Sister) and start the school year as 'the new girl.' So Sadie creates a blog to sort out every W3TP (What's Wrong With This Picture?) that has suddenly entered her life. When Sadie meets BB (Buff Boy), she thinks that maybe her luck is changing. Could this be Sadie's chance to fit in at her new school? Or will a relationship with BB isolate her even more? Through it all, Sadie has her blog--where she vents to friends and where she discovers the inner strength to keep moving forward. Written entirely in blog style, complete with a unique 'clicktionary' explaining blogspeak and scattered hand-drawn artwork throughout, Sadie's story will pull in readers from the very first page.
Publication Date: 07/02/13
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

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