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Best Bet
Laura Pedersen
Synopsis: Since Hallie's father died and left behind ten children, money at the Palmer household is tighter than ever. And just when Hallie thought she was graduating from college, it turns out she's four credits short. A professor needs one more student for a project that will take her around the world, only longtime boyfriend Craig has another proposition for Hallie.

Thus begins Hallie's great odyssey, for the first time she ventures outside the safety of Cosgrove County and the sixty-mile radius in which she's functioned for her entire life. But somehow, escaping home doesn't translate into leaving behind all of her problems, and, unfortunately, not all can be solved by putting her superior gambling skills to work.

Eventually, it's time to return home to all the good people who are great at driving each other crazy. Hallie must finally face the biggest decision of her life.

Humorous and heartfelt, Best Bet underscores the importance of friends, family, and a sense of belonging. The characters in this modest, but neighborly, small town prove that an ordinary existence made up of small but genuine moments can satisfy a soul that's hungry for life in all of its glories and disappointments.

Publication Date: 11/23/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Utah: Book Two
Tanja Bauerle, Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley
Synopsis: Announcing the second book in a series about an RV living homeschooling family. Each month brings the Wright family to a new state with a new educational theme to explore and play with. They prove that learning can happen all the time, anywhere, and that being with family is fun! Meet Aidan Wright, age 7: Boisterous and joking all the time, this sporty boy knows how to have fun! Meet Nadia Wright, age 11: Curious and fiery, this intellectual girl can always find out answers to even the most difficult questions. Meet their parents, Harrison and Stephanie: Ready to take their kids on adventures of a lifetime. Meet Prince Pumpkin III, turtle extraordinaire: This 50 year old little guy is holding on tight, as the family RV and mysterious device take him on an adventure no turtle has ever gone on before. Explore a dinosaur dig with the Wrights as they roadschool in Utah. What will Aidan and Nadia discover about the mysterious device they found in Arizona? This series is Wright on Time.
Publication Date: 11/23/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Misfit McCabe
L K Gardner-Griffie
Synopsis: Stuck in bed with a book and a broken ankle, Katie McCabe must deal with her anger toward the town bully who put her there and the grief of losing her father, her home, her friends and life as she knew it before her world fell apart. The tragic death of her father is the reason she's now living with her Uncle Charley and three overprotective cousins. While plotting revenge against the bully, Katie is outraged to be warned to keep quiet about how she got the broken ankle. Her new family tries to make her comfortable by sharing parts of their own past as Katie tries to fit in but it's cousin Sarah who has to try to keep Katie in bed and watch over her when a love interest from school comes calling. Despite her new family's good intentions, Katie feels like an outsider. Will she ever fit in? To Katie, Nowhere Feels Like Home.
Publication Date: 11/23/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
A Forest Through The Trees
Thomas M. Wilkinson
Synopsis: A hilarious year-in-the-life view of a woodland community that kick-starts on Groundhog Day. The toe moths return wreaking havoc on a community filled with antlers, unclers, stepasiders, humblebees, sneezing trees and more. Can you tell a window from a windon't? A pillowcaser from flutterby? What happens when an inchworm meets a centipede? A tale overflowing with wordplay, tongue-twisters, puns and poems,
Publication Date: 11/17/09
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Humor
A Forest Through The Trees
Thomas M. Wilkinson
Synopsis: A hilarious year-in-the-life view of a woodland community that kick-starts on Groundhog Day. The toe moths return wreaking havoc on a community filled with antlers, unclers, stepasiders, humblebees, sneezing trees and more. Can you tell a window from a windon't? A pillowcaser from flutterby? What happens when an inchworm meets a centipede? A tale overflowing with wordplay, tongue-twisters, puns and poems,
Publication Date: 11/17/09
Age Level: Any Age
Genre: Fiction
Drawing Manga Animals
J.C. Amberlyn
Synopsis: Learn the Tricks of the Trade for Drawing Irresistibly Cute Manga-Style Animals and Chibis! The world of manga is filled with strange creatures and adorable sidekicks. Just about every manga hero and heroine has an animal mascot, and all the most popular ones have a cute "chibi" form. This book teaches aspiring manga artists how to create the funny critters that populate girls' manga and the more gritty, gothic creatures found in boys' manga.  It starts with the basics of creating manga-style characters—everything from drawing heads and faces to eyes and expressions, to creating incredibly cute chibis. Part two features a valuable reference section on the mythological and real animals that have shaped Japanese artwork and stories. The final section has step-by-step demonstrations on using computer programs such as Photoshop and Corel Painter to create manga art and comics. So whether you're just starting out and want to draw a cute, simple mascot, or would like to try something more complex like an Asian dragon, or are ready to create your own otherworldly adventure, this book has something for you no matter what your skill level.
Publication Date: 11/17/09
Age Level: Any Age
Genre: Manga/Graphic Novel
Shadowland
Alyson Noël
Synopsis:

Enter the realm of the Immortals―the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Alyson Noël that's been acclaimed as breathtaking, mesmerizing, flawless and extraordinary.

Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives―and fought off the world's darkest enemies―so they could be together forever. But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen…one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death―plunging Damen into the Shadowland. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick―and gets help from an unexpected source…a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She's always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love―and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever's connection with Jude grows stronger―and tests her love for Damen like never before…

Publication Date: 11/17/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
The Silver Anklet
Mahtab Narsimhan
Synopsis:

What if the only way to get rid of your worst enemy was to sacrifice your brother?

When hyenas snatch Taras brother, Suraj, and two other children from the local fair in Morni, Tara and her newfound companions decide to rescue them on their own. Tara soon discovers that Zarku, her nemesis with the third eye, is back and intent on revenge.

A deadly game of hide and seek ensues, and Tara and her companions must work together to survive. But it is soon clear that Zarku is only after Tara; the others are dispensable.

Should Tara risk the lives of her friends? Or can she once again defeat Zarku and save her brother, armed only with belief in herself and a silver anklet?

Publication Date: 11/16/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Prairie Winter
Bonnie Geisert
Synopsis:

The Cresbard school means a lot to sixth grader Rachel Johnson. It means classes with a beloved teacher, important band rehearsals for the upcoming concert in Chicago, and time to hang out with Winnie and Darren and the rest of the town kids. For a twelve year-old living on a remote prairie farm with no phone, school means connection. And that connection is about to be severed. The most dangerous winter that Rachel has ever known is about to descend on Cresbard, marooning her on the farm and keeping her from the school she so desperately loves.

Then, in a surprising turn of events, Rachel’s dad agrees to fly his three oldest daughters to town so they can continue the school year. Rachel will be boarding in a hotel with no parents, no rules, and no chores. Her choice of desserts every night, two-stepping with Darren Baxter at the school dance . . .will Rachel ever be able to return to farm life after this?

Publication Date: 11/16/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Global Warming and the Dinosaurs
Laurie Caple, Caroline Arnold
Synopsis: Dinosaurs are usually pictured in warm, tropical environments, but fossils found at the poles are filling in the gap of knowledge about how and where these creatures lived. Evidence from bones and teeth to trackways and skin impressions raises important questions: How did dinosaurs cope with three months of total darkness in winter? What plants grew in the polar regions? How cold was it? What are the implications for today, as glaciers retreat, ice shelves melt, and permafrost thaws? The polar regions are a unique "library" of the past, and Caroline Arnold introduces readers to the gigantic prehistoric creatures that inhabited them.
Publication Date: 11/16/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Nonfiction
Tremain Book One: The Seven Faiths
Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Sheldrak stands at the gateway of manhood. When he steps through, he will be embarking on an epic adventure, the like of which the world has seldom, if ever, seen. Like all good people in his land, Sheldrak is determined to live by the Seven Faiths of Strepsay. But he little realises that he has been chosen to defend the Faith, and the very cause of good itself, against the evil of the Grey One, Essdark. He will not be alone, but at the head of a band of diverse but united warriors for truth. They, like the Faiths, will be seven in number. But who will they be, and can Sheldrak, a mere youth, recognise them and persuade them to risk all? What unfolds is a tale of spirits, giants, emperors and even a chirpy Londoner who finds himself transformed into a talking wolf in a whole new world. This gripping, pacy, energetic and often comic novel is the first in a four-part saga.
Publication Date: 11/13/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
The Shadowmask
Geno Salvatore, R.A. Salvatore
Synopsis: Cross swords with a blue-skinned pirate and unravel the mystery of the masked spellcaster in this second book of the Stone of Tymora trilogy!

Though robbed by a masked spellcaster and left for dead by a demon, twelve-year-old Maimun refuses to give up the magic that rightfully belongs to him. After reuniting with dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden and Captain Deudermont's crew, Maimun sets off on a sea-faring chase that will test both the strength of his spirit and of his friendships. As perilous storms rock Sea Sprite and vicious pirates bombard its decks, a mysterious force gathers in the Moonshaes, determined to bring Deudermont's ship - and Maimun's quest - crashing to an end on its shores.

In this second book of the Stone of Tymora trilogy, R.A. Salvatore and his son Geno continue their gripping tale of coming-of-age in a world filled with magic, featuring a cameo of R.A. Salvatore's signature character Drizzt Do'Urden.
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Claim To Fame
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Synopsis: Lindsay Scott hit the big time at age five, when she became the star of the television show "Just Me and the Kids." It seemed like she was set for life--until she had a nervous breakdown when she was eleven, because Lindsay had suddenly developed a very dangerous sense of ESP--the ability to hear what anyone was thinking about here, at any time, anywhere in the world. Lindsay's father whisked her away to her long-gone mother's house in small town Springdale, and Lindsay was amazed to discover that within the four walls of the house, she can't hear anything out of the ordinary. And so Lindsay has stayed hidden in the house, safe from other people's thoughts, doing her best to stay out of sight and let the world forget her.

When the tabloids print a "where are they now" story about her, claiming that Lindsay's maniacal father has kept her imprisoned in her house for the past five years, a couple of well-meaning teens attempt to "rescue" Lindsay. For the first time in five years, Lindsay is outside the protective quiet of her house. And that's when she hears the one voice she never expected to hear: her mother's.

When she discovers that perhaps her mother didn't leave voluntarily, she has a choice to make: will she risk everything to find the truth about her past--and the source of her ability?
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
A Faraway Island
Linda Schenck, Annika Thor
Synopsis: Two Jewish sisters leave Austria during WWII/Holocaust and find refuge in Sweden.

It's the summer of 1939. Two Jewish sisters from Vienna—12-year-old Stephie Steiner and 8-year-old Nellie—are sent to Sweden to escape the Nazis. They expect to stay there six months, until their parents can flee to Amsterdam; then all four will go to America. But as the world war intensifies, the girls remain, each with her own host family, on a rugged island off the western coast of Sweden.

Nellie quickly settles in to her new surroundings. She’s happy with her foster family and soon favors the Swedish language over her native German. Not so for Stephie, who finds it hard to adapt; she feels stranded at the end of the world, with a foster mother who’s as cold and unforgiving as the island itself. Her main worry, though, is her parents—and whether she will ever see them again.
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
Kitchen Princess
Natsumi Ando, Miyuki Kobayashi
Synopsis: For all the fans who can’t get enough of the smash hit manga Kitchen Princess–a thrilling new prose story of romance and adventure!

Najika faces a new challenge, and it may be her toughest one yet. Before their tragic accident, her parents, both famous pastry chefs, made a promise to the grandmother of a classmate of Najika’s: to duplicate a white cake the elderly woman once tasted abroad as a teenager. Now Najika hopes to re-create the cake herself.

With so few clues (it’s fluffy and heavenly) and so many possibilities, the trial and error might just go on forever. But Najika refuses to give up–for one reason: She knows that all great masterpieces contain a distinct magic: a secret ingredient called love.

Najika will need lots of it to make the wishes of Anju’s grandmother–and certain other classmates–come true. And who knows? With so much amour in the air, Najika might just find a little left over for herself!
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Adventure
Grk Smells A Rat
Joshua Doder
Synopsis: A perfect middle-grade adventure for the same fans as Alex Rider readers.

Tim Malt; his parents; his dog, Grk; and his friends Natascha and Max Raffifi have just arrived in India. They are all set to see the famous sights and watch Max compete in a tennis tournament. But after meeting a boy named Krishnan, they learn about the Blue Rat Gang, a group that enslaves children. Krishnan needs help to rescue his sister from a cruel life of forced labor, and Tim and Grk are up to the challenge. Racing against time, Tim and Grk are chased through dark alleys only to find themselves face-to-face with the infamous leader inside the Blue Rats’ headquarters. Can they foil his evil plans before it’s too late?

Praise for the Grk books:
“Pure adventure fun.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Crackles with Doder’s crisp prose and absurdist sensibility . . . [a] wildly engaging story.”—Time Out NY Kids
Publication Date: 11/10/09
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Adventure

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