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The Whole Story of Half a Girl
Veera Hiranandani
Synopsis: What greater praise than to be compared to Judy Blume!--"Each [Blume and Hiranandani] excels in charting the fluctuating discomfort zones of adolescent identity with affectionate humor."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred

After her father loses his job, Sonia Nadhamuni, half Indian and half Jewish American, finds herself yanked out of private school and thrown into the unfamiliar world of public education. For the first time, Sonia's mixed heritage makes her classmates ask questions—questions Sonia doesn't always know how to answer—as she navigates between a group of popular girls who want her to try out for the cheerleading squad and other students who aren't part of the "in" crowd.

At the same time that Sonia is trying to make new friends, she's dealing with what it means to have an out-of-work parent—it's hard for her family to adjust to their changed circumstances. And then, one day, Sonia's father goes missing. Now Sonia wonders if she ever really knew him. As she begins to look for answers, she must decide what really matters and who her true friends are—and whether her two halves, no matter how different, can make her a whole.
Publication Date: 01/10/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Fiction
Daughter of Xanadu
Dori Jones Yang
Synopsis: Athletic and strong willed, Princess Emmajin's determined to do what no woman has done before: become a warrior in the army of her grandfather, the Great Khan Khubilai. In the Mongol world the only way to achieve respect is to show bravery and win glory on the battlefield. The last thing she wants is the distraction of the foreigner Marco Polo, who challenges her beliefs in the gardens of Xanadu. Marco has no skills in the "manly arts" of the Mongols: horse racing, archery, and wrestling. Still, he charms the Khan with his wit and story-telling. Emmajin sees a different Marco as they travel across 13th-century China, hunting 'dragons' and fighting elephant-back warriors. Now she faces a different battle as she struggles with her attraction towards Marco and her incredible goal of winning fame as a soldier.


From the Hardcover edition.
Publication Date: 01/10/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Fangbone: Third-Grade Barbarian
Michael Rex, Michael Rex
Synopsis: As seen on Disney XD, a hilarious graphic novel perfect for fans of Captain Underpants!
Eastwood Elementary has a new student, and he's nothing like the other kids in 3G. Fangbone is a barbarian warrior from another world! And he's been charged with the task of keeping a deadly weapon from Skullbania's vilest villain, Venomous Drool. Can Fangbone's new classmates team up to help him triumph over hound-snakes, lava-ferrets, and his first pop quiz?
Publication Date: 01/05/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Manga/Graphic Novel
Leaves of Flame
Benjamin Tate
Synopsis: Colin has become a master of three of the five magics, and has gifted the human, Dwarren, and Alvritshai races with magical protective Trees. But the power of the dark spirits is spreading despite this. Can Colin unite the races against this menace and prevent their enemy from complete control of the land's magic?
Publication Date: 01/03/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
House Name
Michelle West
Synopsis: Jewel Markess and her den of street children have been given shelter in House Terafin. The price for them to remain there is that Jewel must prove her value to the House.

Jewel has been assigned the task of finding entryways to the ancient undercity that lies beneath the streest of the empire's capital. But even with the aid of the most powerful First Circle Mage of the Order of Knowledge, Jewel's search seems hopeless.

All of the ways into the undercity seem to be magically disappearing before Jewel can lead the mage to them. And if they can't find a means to reach the undercity, they will not be able to prevent the demon kin from achieving whatever they are planning.

Then the unthinkable happens -- a direct attack on House Terafin -- and suddenly the stakes are raised to a whole new level....
Publication Date: 01/03/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Sins of the Demon
Diana Rowland
Synopsis: Louisiana homicide detective Kara Gillian is doing her best to cope with everything that's happened to her over the past year, all while s continuing to hone her skills as a demon summoner. But lately she's beginning to wonder if there's a little too much demon in her world. She has a demon for a roommate, the demonic lord Rhyzkahl is still interested in her for reasons she can't fathom, and now someone in the demon realm is trying to summon her. And there's no way that can end well.

Meanwhile, people who've hurt Kara in the past are dropping dead. Kara is desperate to find the reasons for the deaths to clear her own name, but when she realizes there's an arcane pattern to the deaths, she knows that both the human and the demon worlds may be at risk unless she finds out who's behind it all. She's in a race against the clock and in a battle for her life that just may take her to hell and back.Sins of the Demon is the exciting fourth installment of the Kara Gillian series.
Publication Date: 01/03/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Switched
Amanda Hocking
Synopsis:

Amanda Hocking is an indie publishing sensation whose self-published novels have sold millions of copies all over the world, and Switched is the book that started the phenomenon. Prepare to be enchanted…

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She's not the person she's always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel―all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she'd ever admit. But it isn't long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth―and he's come to take her home.

Now Wendy's about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that's both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she's meant to become…

As a special gift to readers, this book contains a new, never-before-published bonus story, "The Vittra Attacks," set in the magical world of the Trylle.

Publication Date: 01/03/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
The Memory Boy
Will Weaver
Synopsis:

Ash is still falling from the sky two years after a series of globally devastating volcanic eruptions. Sunlight is as scarce as food, and cities are becoming increasingly violent as people loot and kill in order to maintain their existence. Sixteen-year-old Miles Newell knows that the only chance his family has of surviving is to escape from their Minneapolis suburban home to their cabin in the woods, As the Newells travel the highways on Miles' supreme invention, the Ali Princess, they have high hopes for safety and peace. But as they venture deeper into the wilderness, they begin to realize that it's not only city folk who have changed for the worse.

Publication Date: 01/03/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Black Boy White School
Brian F. Walker
Synopsis:

In a hard-hitting novel about fitting in—or not—Anthony “Ant” Jones gets transported from his East Cleveland hood to an almost all-white prep school and has to figure out where he belongs...before he loses himself entirely. Black Boy White School is a memorable debut that will appeal to fans of Walter Dean Myers and Sherman Alexie.

Anthony has never been outside his rough neighborhood when he receives a scholarship to Belton Academy, an elite prep school in Maine. But at Belton things are far from perfect. Everyone calls him “Tony,” assumes he’s from Brooklyn, expects him to play basketball, and yet acts shocked when he fights back.

As Anthony tries to adapt to a world that will never fully accept him, he’s in for a rude awakening: Home is becoming a place where he no longer belongs.

In debut author Brian F. Walker’s honest and dynamic novel about staying true to yourself, Anthony might find a way to survive at Belton, but what will it cost him?

Publication Date: 01/03/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Dark Flame
Alyson Noël
Synopsis:

In Dark Flame, Alyson Noël's most darkly seductive Immortals novel yet, Ever fights for control of her body, her soul―and the timeless true love she's been chasing for centuries.

Ever is trying to help Haven transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and acting recklessly, she poses the ultimate threat―exposing their secret world. As Ever struggles to keep the Immortals hidden, it only propels Haven closer to the enemy―Roman and his evil companions. At the same time, Ever delves deeper into dark magick to free Damen from Roman's power. But when her spell backfires, it binds her to the one guy who's hell-bent on her destruction. Now there's a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, and no matter what she does, she can't stop thinking about Roman―and longing for his touch. Frantic to break the spell before its too late, Ever turns to Jude for help, risking everything she knows and loves to save herself―and her future with Damen…

Publication Date: 01/03/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Kings of Colorado
David E. Hilton
Synopsis: "A heartfelt portrait of young men in a bygone age” (Kirkus Reviews) about troubled boys, wild horses, and the high price of a childhood lost.

Thirteen-year-old William Sheppard stabs his abusive father and is sent to the Swope Ranch Boys Reformatory, setting off a string of events that ultimately leads to a horrifying end in the Colorado mountains. Along the way, he befriends three boys who become his surrogate family. Their work together taming horses brings peace, as the boys struggle to survive a world of hurt and shocking cruelty wherein the only thing they can rely on is each other as the laws of normal society are stripped away.

With a backbone of heart-wrenching suspense, Kings of Colorado is a beautiful portrayal of brotherhood set against the nobility, danger, and wildness of youth and horses. The bonds between man and beast, along with other themes of community, friendship, and atonement are boldly explored on every page. Kings of Colorado illustrates just how easily innocence can be stripped away, robbing us of something most precious: childhood.
Publication Date: 01/03/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Environment
A Million Suns
Beth Revis
Synopsis: Book 2 in the New York Times bestselling trilogy, perfect for fans of Battlestar Gallactica and Prometheus!

GODSPEED WAS FUELED BY LIES. NOW IT IS RULED BY CHAOS.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. Everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to act on his vision--no more Phydus, no more lies. But when Elder learns shocking news, he and Amy must race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed, all the while dealing with the love that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

Beth Revis catapulted readers into the far reaches of space with her New York Times bestselling debut, Across the Universe. In A Million Suns, Beth deepens the mystery with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: THEY HAVE TO GET OFF THIS SHIP.
Publication Date: 01/02/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Science Fiction
Princess Kandake: Warrior By Choice....Appointed to Rule
Synopsis: In ancient Nubia a woman can become whatever she chooses. At age 14 Kandake knows exactly what she chooses...Prime Warrior of Nubia. But her grandmother has said that she will follow her father on the throne. Refusing to abandon her warrior dreams, she continues to train. When her brother is kidnapped, Kandake learns she must be both queen and warrior to win his release!
Publication Date: 01/01/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Eep!
Joke Van Leeuwen
Synopsis: One day Warren sees something strange lying under a bush. He doesn't know whether it is a bird in the form of a girl, or a girl in the form of a bird. He takes the creature home. His wife Tina wants to keep it and raise it as her own child. But it has wings...
Publication Date: 01/01/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Humor
A Voice for Kanzas
Debra McArthur
Synopsis: Book by McArthur, Debra
Publication Date: 01/01/12
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Case of the Diamonds in the Desk
Amy Wummer, Lewis B Montgomery
Synopsis: Detectives-in-training Milo and Jazz must work backward to solve the case of the diamonds that mysteriously appeared in Milo's desk at school.
Publication Date: 01/01/12
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

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