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Dismal Thoughts
C. Amethyst Frost
Synopsis: A young girl named Dot romanticizes her unique state of despair. Through a series of humorous, melodramatic events, Dot sets on a quest to finally and officially be declared "clinically depressed." If you are looking for flowers and sunshine, you've come to the wrong place. If you are squeamish, frail, or susceptible to uncontrollable cheeriness, put this book down right now and walk away! This book is about doom and gloom and perpetual despair. It is about the dismal thoughts of a hopelessly depressed young girl and her quest to finally be declared "clinical." Monsters and demons and an endless abyss are what await you here. If, however, you accept the fact that the world is forlorn and desolate, you may have just found yourself a soul mate. Approach with caution. Be sure to have lots of chocolate chip ice cream on hand, as well as 14 boxes of tissues and the name of a good psychiatrist. Whatever you do, absolutely do NOT read this book unless you are clinically depressed. You were warned.
Publication Date: 05/09/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Paper Planes
Martin Burton
Synopsis: The distance we go for Love! All Martin ever wanted was a mother who loved him. At just five-years-old she walked out, leaving Martin to be raised by his grandma and grandad. Life became a constant battle for him, enduring countless traumatic events with his mother, and Linford, the school bully. Martin wished for an escape, and that day came when he met Gerald. Together they endured years of mental and physical bullying. Masking their fears with fun, they created a distraction from all the hurt and upset, by mustering up mischievous adventures packed with adrenalin pumped fun and laughter. However, their fun takes a turn for the worst, and they're both put face to face with a much greater fear than school bullying, a fear that two thirteen year old boys should never have to experience.
Publication Date: 05/09/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Trials and Tribulations of Miss Tilney
Danielle Alexis, Sarah Elkins, David A Doub
Synopsis: Cub Reporter Henrietta Tilney is sent on her first assignment, to interview accused mass murderer Lord Beowulf Harwood. But young Henrietta quickly finds out there is much more to this story and its subject Lord Harwood. Will this plucky young reporter get her story and survive with her life intact?
Publication Date: 04/30/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
A Horse Named Viking
Caroline Akervik
Synopsis: A rogue. An outlaw. An unlikely hero. Viking is the sole offspring of a savage and vicious mare. The colt is the pride of the stable until his dam kills a groom in her stall. Viking is a painful reminder of the tragedy, and so he is sold off. The black colt has a coarse face and a mean curl to his nostrils, but he is beautifully proportioned with magnificent gaits. With his teeth and thick weapon of a tail, Viking brutalizes everyone who handles him and humiliates the best trainers in the world until Anne O'Neil tries him. The first time she rides him, she declares she will not buy him if he was the last apple in the barrel. The second time, she rides him as if he is as sensitive as one of her Thoroughbreds, and she is amazed by the results. Kindness and sugar turn out to be the keys to Viking's heart. Viking and Anne become rising stars until a cruel and brutal trainer seeks to crush his spirit. A Horse Named Viking follows the life journey of an incredible, unforgettable horse.
Publication Date: 04/27/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Merits of Mischief: The Big Apple
Synopsis: The start of a mischievous new middle-grade series has trouble written all over it.

Twelve-year-old Seamus Hinkle is a good kid with a perfect school record—until the day he accidently kills his substitute teacher with an apple.
     Seamus is immediately shipped off to a detention facility—only to discover that Kilter Academy is actually a school to mold future Troublemakers, where demerits are awarded as a prize for bad behavior and each student is tasked to pull various pranks on their teachers in order to excel. Initially determined to avoid any more mishaps, Seamus nonetheless inadvertently emerges as a uniquely skilled troublemaker. Together with new friends Lemon and Elinor, he rises to the top of his class while beginning to discover that Kilter Academy has some major secrets and surprises in store….
Publication Date: 04/24/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
Denise Brunkus, Barbara Park
Synopsis: 10 Top-Secret Personal Facts About Junie B

By Me, Junie B. Jones

My birthday is Junie the 1st! My mother's name is Susan, Susie, Suz, Mommy, and Mother. Plus sometimes Daddy calls her Buttercup. That is ridiculous I think. My favorite food is yummy, delicious lemon pie. Plus also I like 'pasketti and meatballs and whipped cream in a can, and sugar cookies! I do not like peas. Or Tuna Noodle Stinkle  (that dish does not smell delightful). When I grow up I would like to be the janitor of my school. The janitor saves people from danger. And paints litter cans. And carry keys that unlock the bathroom. Without the janitor we couldn't even go to the toilet. I would also  enjoy being Beauty Shop guy, I think.   My grandma, Helen Miller has a pet bird named Twitter. (Only I hate that dumb bird). I am not actually a fan of roosters either. One time, a boy named meanie Jim said that roosters can peck your head into a nub. And that is not pleasant, I tell you. The name of my school is Clarence somebody or other Elementary School. I usually take the stupid smelly bus to school.  Only some mornings I accidentally spill cereal down the front of me at breakfast. And then I accidentally dance with Teddy instead of changing clothes. And so I accidentally miss the bus. Then Mother has to drive me. She is not pleasant when that happens. When I am scared in the dark, I grab my bestest stuffed animal named Philip Johnny Bob. And then both of us sing, "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" from the hit musical Annie. My favorite fruits are fruit loops, cherry jello, grape Kool-aid, orange popsicles, strawberry shortcake, blueberry pancakes, and chocolate covered raisins.
Publication Date: 04/24/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Secret in Bladham Wood
Sheila Lee Brown
Synopsis: Sisters don’t always get along. Sam often wishes she was an only child. However, when something happens to her kid sister Lilly, Sam is ready to take on whatever comes her way, despite her fear and uncertainty. With her new friend Marcus, Sam sets out to rescue Lilly. Their journey uncovers a family secret that changes Sam and the way she sees the world, forever.
Publication Date: 04/22/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Kill Switch
Chris Lynch
Synopsis: Some things are best left forgotten. A gripping account of espionage and loyalty from National Book Award Finalist Chris Lynch.

All Daniel wants to do is spend one last summer with his grandfather before he moves away for college and his grandfather’s dementia pulls them apart. But when his dear old Da starts to let things slip about the job he used to hold—people he’s killed, countries he’s overthrown—old work “friends” show up to make sure he stays quiet. Was his grandfather really involved in a world of assassinations and coups, or are the stories just delusions of a crumbling mind? On the run from the police (and possibly something worse) before he has time to find out, Daniel may have to sacrifice everything to protect his grandfather from those who would do him harm.
Publication Date: 04/17/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Zigzag Kids: Bears Beware
Patricia Reilly Giff
Synopsis: Mitchell really doesn't want to go camping with the other kids at the Zigzag Afternoon Center. Sleeping in the woods with creepy crawly things, coyotes, and bears? Yikes! But his best friend Habib is going, and it's Mitchell's birthday that weekend. He's just got to find a way to be brave, and scare the bears away!
As the fifth book in the Zigzag Kids series—which also includes Number One Kid, Big Whopper, Flying Feet, and Star Time—Bears Beware continues to delight readers with award-winning author Patricia Reilly Giff's quirky, lovable group of kids, capturing all the excitement and surprises of new friends and after-school fun.
Publication Date: 04/10/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Amaranthine
Tricia Rigli
Synopsis: Amaranthine is a tale of the dark side of desire. Crimson Wilkinson is a seemingly normal high school senior who, bored with life, finds her kicks in reading a popular vampire series. But her boredom is well remedied when she becomes an active part in the very true vampire stories the world thought were fiction and falls in love with their author, Nicholae Albaric, the dangerously gorgeous and sweetly lonely vampire celebrity. The rush she once so longed for becomes a burden as Crimson discovers she has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful once they are made into a vampire, and she is targeted as the vampire community's number-one most wanted, some who want to kill her before she can become a threat and others who want to use her powers to their own ends.
Publication Date: 04/10/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Alice-Miranda on Vacation
Jacqueline Harvey
Synopsis: Girls who are fans of Judy Moody, Matilda and Clementine will love Alice-Miranda, the  precocious and endearing heroine whose adventures continue in book #2 of the Alice-Miranda series. 

Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones has survived her first semester at boarding school. Now she's headed home for break—and she's invited Jacinta Headlington-Bear, the school's second-best tantrum thrower, to join her. The two girls are looking forward to a fun mini-vacation. Nothing too eventful! But a cranky boy is causing mischief, a movie star has come to visit, and a stranger is snooping around. Add a naughty pony, a hint of romance, and a dastardly scheme, and Jacinta and Alice-Miranda might have a more exciting time than they ever expected. . . .
Publication Date: 04/10/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Lucy and CeCee's How to Survive in Middle School
Synopsis: Time to put the freak-out on pause because outgoing, boy-crazy Lucy Pringle and shy, studious, bespectacled CeCee Cruz have the goods on how to make middle school the best three years ever! Lucy and CeCee-the official self-proclaimed Madison Heights Middle School experts on how to deal with haters, hormones, and hot lunch dilemmas-are ready to demystify swirlie urban legends and dish about academic and social topics. They're keeping it real, lacing diary entries with their own daily escapades regarding skater slacker boyfriend crushes, BFF shopping trips to the mall, and BEE (Bitter Eternal Enemies) text wars. The two seventh graders swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth . . . so help them Good Fairy of Popularity. In this handbook, two girls who have already survived boyfriends, sleepovers, nerd crushes, detentions, and runaway pimples share helpful hints and lingo lessons that will help tweens not only survive, but thrive while navigating through all the gory glory of middle school.  Check out Lucy and CeCee's official website at tweengirlsrule.blogspot.com.  Winner of Editor's Choice, Rising Star, Young Adult Honorable Mention - San Francisco Festival of Books, Paris Festival of Books, and New York Festival of Books.
Publication Date: 04/05/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
The Metamorphosis of Kaden Parsons
Synopsis: The Metamorphosis of Kaden Parsons is about a boy who is bullied at school following the loss of his mother and mid-year transfer to a new school. As a new single-parent, his dad must learn how best to help his son while fighting the guilt of not knowing. Using the amazing transformation of the Monarch butterfly as a metaphor, Kaden's journey reveals who he really is and launches his dad on a quest to become the father his son needs him to be.

The conversation starters at the end of the book help busy parents to personalize the major themes of the story--which include bullying and the power of standing up, love and loss, and single parenting--to their own family values and experiences.
Publication Date: 04/02/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Jinxed!
Eric Wight, Kurtis Scaletta
Synopsis: It’s Chad’s first spring as a batboy, and the Pine City Porcupines are hot—until they come up against the league-leading Heron Lake Humdingers. Now Chad’s got a whole lineup of problems: his favorite player, shortstop Mike Stammer, thinks he’s jinxed; Dylan, the other batboy, doesn’t even like baseball; there’s a goofy new porcupine mascot on the field; plus, Chad has to fill in as batboy for the Herons. It’s a good thing there’s something in the cards—his baseball cards, that is—that can help Chad sort it all out.

Publication Date: 04/01/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Steal That Base!
Eric Wight, Kurtis Scaletta
Synopsis: Chad’s got the summertime blues: his parents want him to be home by midnight (no extra innings) and eat healthier (no corn dogs). His friend, Abby, has bobblehead issues. And then there’s pinch hitter Sammy Solaris. But Sammy has problems of his own. He has a big swing but is too slow. If he can’t speed up his running and stealing, he’ll be off the team. There’s got to be something Chad can do to save the day . . . with a little help from Dylan, a baseball card, and that porcupine!

Publication Date: 04/01/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Steal That Base!
Eric Wight, Kurtis Scaletta
Synopsis:

Chad’s got the summertime blues: his parents want him to be home by midnight (no extra innings) and eat healthier (no corn dogs). His friend, Abby, has bobblehead issues. And then there’s pinch hitter Sammy Solaris. But Sammy has problems of his own. He has a big swing but is too slow. If he can’t speed up his running and stealing, he’ll be off the team. There’s got to be something Chad can do to save the day . . . with a little help from Dylan, a baseball card, and that porcupine!

Publication Date: 04/01/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

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